My wife lived in China for 6 years, amongst the chinese as a chinese (ie in chinese only areas), only speaking chinese, (in fact in some places she went to they had never seen a non-chinese). Bribes are not "un-usual" practice but almost the norm especially to "stay out of sight" from the Police as how she was living was illegal/strongly dis-couraged then (yes she's a crazy, commie so and so).
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