Bittersweet halves face crisis of identity

A China posting is prized among foreign professionals these days.

Expatriates are drawn in droves to the country as its economy presents opportunities at a time when jobs in Western nations are shrinking.

A transferee resume is said to look good with the word China in it, as personal conversations with members of Beijing's expatriate community reveal.

China's charm - an ancient civilization and a power in the modern world - extends beyond individuals here on work, to their families.

A foreign diplomat's wife in Beijing says that learning Mandarin and experiencing the land's vibrant culture firsthand are exciting engagements. She relocated to the country to support her husband's career.

Plus accounts in lifestyle magazines suggest that weekend merrymaking in Shanghai and Beijing is relentless.

But inside this razzle-dazzle expatriate world, there are some people who are struggling to make their lives relevant, even to themselves.

They are the so-called "trailing spouses", who live in China mainly because of their partner's professional prospects.

Many such spouses are unemployed, having given up established positions back home and "tagged" along with their husbands or wives, usually for the sake of children or to keep marriages from failing.

Trailing spouses are found worldwide.