The Business of Being a 'White Monkey': How Foreigners Are Hired to Boost Brands in China

In many parts of China, businesses are using a unique strategy to attract customers and gain respect: they hire foreigners to play roles they are not actually qualified for. This practice is known as the 'white monkey' phenomenon. These individuals are paid to pose as doctors, lawyers, scientists, or even company CEOs. By simply having a person who looks like a foreigner involved in their business, these companies hope to appear more international and successful to local customers.

According to The Guardian Business, this trend is rooted in the cultural concept of 'mianzi', or 'face'. In Chinese society, 'face' is about the respect and status a person or business receives from others. When a business can show that it has connections to the outside world, it gains prestige. This makes the company look more professional and trustworthy compared to its competitors. For many business owners, the 'foreign look' is a simple way to get an edge in a crowded market.

These jobs cover a wide range of activities. Some people are hired to sit in restaurants to make them look popular, while others are paid to act as English teachers in language centers. The Guardian Business reports that these companies often prefer these individuals over better-qualified local teachers because parents believe that a native English speaker is automatically better. In other cases, foreigners are hired to act as judges on television talent shows or to appear in advertisements for products like blood pressure monitors. These roles are often found through informal job boards or private groups on the messaging app WeChat.

While the term 'white monkey' suggests that only white people are hired, the reality is more complex. Recruiters often look for anyone who appears 'non-Chinese'. The Guardian Business noted that job requests can be very specific, asking for people of different races or nationalities depending on what the product needs. For example, a company might ask for a specific type of model to make a video look more global. Because these requests are often made through private messages rather than formal job advertisements, they are very difficult for the government to control or regulate.

For the people hired, these jobs can provide easy money. One person named Piers, who has worked in several of these roles, shared his experience with The Guardian Business. As a student in Shanghai in 2010, he was paid to sit on an 'international judging panel' for a television show. He and other students were sorted by their country of origin and asked to watch performances and give out toy prizes. He noted that the pay was good for an unemployed student, and it offered a chance to be on television. In another instance, he realized a restaurant had placed him in a premium seat specifically to attract attention from passersby, as locals assumed that if a foreigner was eating there, the food must be of high quality.

However, this industry exists in a legal grey area. While China has strict laws regarding equality in the workplace, these informal 'white monkey' arrangements often avoid formal contracts. This means that the people involved have very little protection if something goes wrong. Furthermore, the practice relies on the idea that foreign presence is inherently better than local expertise, which some critics argue is a misleading way to do business.

As the Chinese market continues to grow and change, the demand for these performative roles remains steady. Businesses continue to use these strategies to build their brand image, believing that the perception of being global is just as important as the reality. For now, as long as companies believe that a 'foreign look' can help them gain more customers and higher status, the 'white monkey' industry is likely to continue operating behind the scenes of the Chinese economy.