by Don Morrison

Dan Dong, an unemployed factory worker, puts on his best polyester sports jacket and goes off to apply for a job as a security guard at a five-star hotel. There he is mistaken for a journalist and whisked into a press banquet, one of many held in today's China to launch everything from literary campaigns to property developments. After a splendid meal - with an envelope of cash "for your troubles" - Dan has a revelation: all he needs to continue this charmed life is a fake business card and a non-existent website....