It's not losing privacy but gaining friends

I recently had my birthday and it put me right under the spotlight.

Because many companies here in Beijing have a grand tradition of celebrating the birthday of each member of staff, I had all the attention cast upon me on this special day. Colleagues were all very nice and they chipped in to throw me a lovely B-day lunch.

At the dining table, everybody talked and laughed and exchanged personal anecdotes. Sporadic outbursts of chortling filled the occasion with great mirth. And it was not long before people started to pry into my private life.