As a general worker in a car assembly in Fujian province, Mr Zhang Guozhi earned a paltry $300 a month. So when he heard about opportunities in Singapore from his aunt, he withdrew his savings of $8,000 and paid an agent in China to help him find a job here.

He arrived in February and was told to report for work at the foodcourt in People's Park Centre. For 12 hours a day and with only two days of rest a month, he clears tables for $850.

It is a dirty job, but he shrugs it off. 'I can always wear gloves. It may be a dirty job but I'm using my hands for labour and there's no shame,' he said in Mandarin.

The 24-year-old bachelor grew up in a rural village in Sanming city. The second of three children, he finished high school and dabbled in various jobs.

Coming to Singapore was a gamble, he said. What depresses him is that he will probably not be able to save enough to even cover the China agent's fees.

Still, with almost two years left on his contract, he soldiers on.

Men from China like Mr Zhang are entering the service industry here in droves, working in malls, foodcourts and petrol stations.

Unlike their female counterparts, who have made their presence felt here over the last 20 years or so in roles ranging from businesswomen and KTV lounge hostesses to mothers who accompany their children here to study, the men from China are only now starting to be more visible.

Groups of them started coming here in the 1970s, but they worked mostly in construction sites and factories. The influx started last year, when rules were relaxed to allow more men and women from China to work in service jobs. Previously, service-sector companies were told that only up to 45 per cent of their employees could be foreigners on work permits, of which China workers were limited to 5 per cent.

From this year, companies can hire up to 50 per cent foreigners, with Chinese nationals making up 10 per cent.

The Ministry of Manpower and the Chinese Embassy were unable to say how many Chinese men were in service jobs, but the 15 employment agencies interviewed said they were sought after.

Mr Matthew Sim, director of Your Manpower Agency, said that 80 per cent of the China workers that he had placed with service-sector companies were men.

Ms Lynn Lim, director of HR Employment Agency, said: 'The market is very hot now. Every restaurant and foodcourt needs China workers.' Her agency has recruited about 300 front-line workers from China since the new ruling but she could not say how many were men.

The men in service jobs are usually aged between 20 and 35 and recruited from provinces such as Fujian, Shandong and Jilin, where males are typically 'well-behaved' and 'big-size', said Ms Lim.

They are often hired for laborious work as cleaners, kitchen helpers and petrol pump attendants, while the women work as shop assistants and waitresses.

The 25 male workers interviewed said these service jobs were still a step up from working at building sites and factories.

Fujian native Chen Zhengliang, 25, first came to Singapore about five years ago as a general worker in a food factory. Before a year was up, he had returned to China as he could not take the 'low salary and long working hours'.

He returned soon after and, for the past four years, has been working as a kitchen helper and coffee shop assistant in Chinatown. He earns about $1,300 and works a 12-hour shift.

Labour agents said money was a huge deciding factor for the men, since most were here to earn as much as possible before returning home in about two years' time.

Mr Sim estimated that a factory worker could earn up to $1,200 a month while those in front-line service jobs took home $1,500.

No specific skills are generally required of workers in the service line, whereas those in construction must have skills certification.

Mr Zhang Qingrong, 26, described his job as a cleaner in OG People's Park as 'quite relaxing'.

The Fujian native, who had worked in a copper factory in China before coming here four months ago, earns about $1,000 a month, almost triple his salary back home.

He said of his work: 'It's not difficult. It's mostly sweeping and mopping the floor.'

Younger workers said the opportunity to 'see the world' and interact with others were added bonuses to venturing into service jobs.

Waiter Zhang Zhongrui, 19, who has been working at St James' Power Station for six months, said he enjoyed meeting 'new and different' people.

He made this observation about local and foreign customers: 'Singaporeans are well-mannered even when they are drunk. I've got foreigners, even people from China, who'll challenge me to fights when I accidentally bump into them.'

Shandong native Zhan Xiuhua, 30, a cleaner at AMK Hub, said he was surprised to find that his colleagues were in their 60s and 70s.

'In China, employers will hire only those in their 40s and below. But here, people can work until they are in their 60s or 70s. It's good in a way, but I don't understand why their children are not supporting them,' he said.

Many of the men are contracted to work for at least two years. They say that they are sometimes taken advantage of by their Singaporean employers.

Mr Chen Zhengliang said his previous boss, a Singaporean, would cut his pay for no good reason.

Supermarket assistant Yang Xuguo, 20, left Shandong province on the assumption that his Singapore employer would pay his rent. He was told otherwise when he arrived and now pays $180 a month for a room in a hostel shared with 15 foreign workers. 'The place is not even nice and there are bugs crawling around the room,' he said.

Mr Duan Longtao, 39, another Shandong native, said China workers were often given the heaviest workload. He works as a road sweeper for $800 a month.

What bothers the men most, however, is how they are slighted by Singaporeans - and sometimes even their own countrymen.

Mr Zhang Guozhi recalled how a Singaporean stall holder at the foodcourt he works in always extolled Singapore's virtues in his presence. 'He's always taunting me, asking me if I want leftover food. I know he despises me but I despise him too for his attitude,' he said bitterly.

Waiter Zhang Zhongrui has met female customers from China at St James who throw their weight around the male servers from China. 'Some can be very demanding and behave in a high and mighty way. They expect you to do everything for them,' he lamented.

As a result, most of the men interviewed said they keep to themselves and their small circle of friends, all men from China. On their days off, which are rare for most, they stroll around the HDB neighbourhoods in which they live or visit places of interest such as the Esplanade and the Merlion.

As they can barely speak English, many of their employers sign them up for basic English courses.

When asked if their female counterparts here had an easier life, most did not think so.

A waiter, who wanted to be known only as Michael, 21, said: 'It's up to you to be hardworking and improve yourself.'

The men were divided as to whether they would stay on in Singapore after their contracts expired.

Mr Zhang Guozhi, however, has decided: 'I'm going home after two years. Who works 12 hours and rests for two days in a month?

'You can't earn all the money in this world. Health is more important.'