Chinese Lives

A man came up to complain his wife gave up her decent job and stayed home which wasted her Master degree qualification. Her job was at a local government subordinate company, good welfare and average salary, though she may feel bored to do very easy work every single day, plus she was not comfortable to deal with complext relationships between colleagues.

I can see the man loves his wife and tolerate her request for now. Why women have to work? In feudal times, women’s workplace is home; it is only in modern times, a family needs both husband and wife work to run family’s finance. If women stay home, kids can have more attention and care; husband can have clean home, warm dinner after a day’s hard work. A lot of benefits. Maybe less traffic jam, less waste of oil and less carbon footprint, since less women join the morning and evening rush hour.

Frankly, very few Chinese men would let his wives stay home forever. If so, very likely, this woman is poorly treated mentally, for instances, taking blames or fists when husband fails his job; or her family has intrusion from other woman. A lot of families, calculate each member’s economic value, and treat each other accordingly. For instance, if wife earns bigger salary, she makes the rules, and her mother-in-law will try to like her.

Some men who want wives to work, claim work makes women confident, not isolated and confined at home and contribute to family.

Women who have Master’s degree or higher, hope to marry a rich, competent and kind man, so as to stay home and enjoy life. Many responders criticised this though as a failure of our education industry.

Pickpockets can have good ones? I doubt this very much, but some people say even thieves are professional trained not to take more than money.

People share their good pickpockets experience, which sound genuine, but not excluding possiblities that it is fabricated.

Episode 1. He knew 3 constant people at a bus stop was pickpockets, and came to them for help after he found his wallets stolen 5 minutes ago. He was very certain, and 3 pickpockets did not deny. Probably moved by his anxiousness to find important cards inside it, pickpockets took him to a place, where all stolen wallects were kept. But his wallet was not there. Then making a phone call to their head, pickpockets said, 50 RMB,you get your wallet tommorow 8 am at same stop.

Episode 2, a man lost his walle which kept very important receipt to pickpockets during a business trip. Fortunately, they only took money, and sent back everything else through express post to address on the man’s ID Card.

I read this post today, and find it very interesting to share with you.

The ending is emotional pregnant woman paid 1000 RMB to the victim guard, after three true witnesses give evidence against her. She admit her fault and should not slap his face and kick at his right upper leg, but felt unfair that the witnesses who only saw half story, forced her into that big payment.

It all happened that the woman wanted to fly kite in the park, but the guard said no. Seeing some kites flied above a nearby shop, she decided to give it a go. The guard found out and started  argue, during which angry mom-to-be slapped and kicked him; the guard refrained and called his colleague.

It looked like a legal process. There were witnesses, both sides of the fight, and police. The only part missing is hospital check to decide how bad the damage. Concerning a hospital check cost similar count, the woman paid as asked.

To my surprise, all 7 response critised the woman for not obeying rules, and hitting guard first. No matter how improper the language he used, the woman losed the battle first. No one discussed whether it was fair to pay 1000 RMB as an apology, since the woman insist she did not hit him badly, and take in count that the emotinal woman was 3 months into pregnancy.

Internet conveniency brought by Ebay, Youtube and other E-shopping facilities, have enriched ways how people live, trade and marketing. They have more choice, more creativity, and more self-centered which I mean less leashed by big brands or totalitarian values. It would be ambiguous, risky, fun and influentical.

This is accordingly the first Taobao (similar to Ebay) small store owner modelling her merchandise women’s lingerie and accessories. Here is the link http://auction1.taobao.com/auction/item_detail-db1-0ceafa400651ee345fa87e4738b52a79.jhtml. Have a look if you are interested.

I have to say, the pictures are bold and sexy, though the marketing is absolutely a success and has increased sales. My feeling is, any doubts about certain product are cleared once see it put on a real people rather than a small picture on its packaging.

However, I am not totally optimistic about hugging this bold modelling or sex sale. China is still a traditional country in bones despite many aspects are westernized. I am not sure if her modelling marketing conflicts any regulations, which could bring her trouble, since recently the government uses heavy punishment towards porn related acts.

Ga-gong, meaning white snow, is the name of a sister mountain to the Everest standing in the Sichuan-Tibet bordering beautiful place. The mountain peak covered by ice snow for all year, plus hot spring, endless grassland, running streams and challenging climbing route, have lured many adventurers close or far.

The general geographic altitude is above 5500 metres, while the peak is 7556 metres. You have to be cautious before entering there. In other words, you should not have heart conditions, high blood pressure, any chronological respiratory disease or just catching a flue.

Below showed to you are a colletion of pictures shoot by those been there just weeks ago. If you are interested, it is not that difficult. There are loads travel agencies in Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan Province that can take you there.

It is just so hard to say “I love you” to dad and mom. We do not hug our parents or siblings when we are adults, impossible for kiss of course. Quiet and hiding emotions, that could not be a wrong description about general Chinese.

But we truly love our parents. It is in our 2000 years’ (probably longer) Confucious tradition that has educated generations’ Chinese. We are supposed to look after parents when they are old and fragile, which is in the law. However, not only me, we feel mouth glued, throat choked when we are about to say the love words.

Probably, love is a verb, besides we are too shy. A photographer, Mr. Jiao Bo, help us visualise the heavy love through his photography collections My Dad and Mom, which is made during more than 20 years, recording their life from 1978 till they passed away at 86 and 92.

Jiao Bo said, he feels lucky to have kept this project running during those years, because he feels the photographs slow down their dying process, and keep safe a precious memory of a loving couple and parents, who used to live.

The first photo was taken in 1978.

Dad took his father’s photo to climb Hua Shan, highest and most steep mountain in China.

Dad’s favorite photo. He was making faces to mirror, which amused sick mom.

First time to make a phone call.

In 2001, their 70 wedding anniversary.

In 2002, their last photo.

Half year and 50,000 RMB (about 4000 British Sterling Pounds) invested in this small clothes shop, Niu Niu has experienced the high and low of being entrepreneur.

This small fashion shop opened at the 17th floor of a business office building and circled office ladies as its market. Niu Niu was on her own doing design layout, supervising decor and clothes order, which deserved a few compliment for a newly graduate.

She had used quite a few marketing skills.Spread reputation by giving out beautiful leaflets. Increase customers by form alliance with a saloon neighbour next floor. Rent elevator advert board.

However, she did know clearly where the weakness was. First of all, Niu Niu wrongly caculated OLs perchase capacity. Earning averagely 2000 RMB in Chong Qing, OLs could not afford Niu Niu’s price positioning as high as 250 a piece. Second, she narrowed potential market by grounding her shop in a building. And the last straw, her boyfriend joined in and closed it for more than 20 days to do decor and planning, which lost regular customers, and wasted every effort made before.

4 am every morning, when most of us are in our sweet dreams, this 12 year old little girl sweep the street floor with a tool higher above her head. She is made known as “the most beautiful civil cleaner” to many people on the internet for these photos.

She was first discovered sweeping street by Mr. Liu when he was on the way to work in August. After seeing her more than weeks there doing her job, Mr. liu shot these pictures and post to several internet forum deeply moved.

Post about her has great attention, and Easy net alone has 23930 visits. Comments have praises and sorrows toward her. Some think that though she is unfortunate not able to enjoy an easy childhood, her experience has set a good example about independence, perseverance and caring for others. Others cast blame for unhealthy social system that cannot provide a little girl enough help.

Reporters interview little girl’s co-workers and finally reach to her family. This is a very unfortunate family. There are 6 in her family, and they share a 30 square meter rented place. Little Dan, the girl’s name, calls her mother’s sister mum, because her real mother with mental disorder disease cannot take care of her.

Her mum, Ms Liao, says, in August she fell ill and Little Dan replace her for several days. In order to let her know the world better, she insists little Dan sweep street at weekends, which she believes can teach a good lesson about living for girls from a poor family.

Original chinese article from:
http://www.backchina.com/newspage/2007/10/28/136192.shtml

Yesterday, 15 people got hurt while hundreds stampeded to claim their lower-priced soy oil, five minutes after Le Gou supermarket opened. Local sources said before 7 in the morning, people lived nearby started queueing at front door or side doors, holding promotion voucher delivered to their mail box by the supermarket. With this voucher, a 5L Soy oil originally priced 50.80 Yuan only cost 30.80 Yuan. Since only 3000 buckets were in offer, those came late could not redeem their vouchers.

5 minutes before the store open time, quequing people lost their patience, partly because many new joiners jumped queques, leaving those quequed behind raging angers. When the door opened, those who queued at back pushed and stampeded forward to reach the counter, which make many pushed down and run over by the flooded-ins. Ms Chen, who lost her shoes, stampeded on the hand, and had her mobile phone stolen, wished she had never been there.

The local police reacted quickly, arriving the scene in five minutes after some one called 110 (China’s emergency number) . The caotic scene was under control. Only the messy shoes everywhere scene witnessed the crazy pushing scenario .

In hospital, 19 stampede victims were accompanied by the supermarket staff. 14 had wrist bruised or twisted ankle, while a female customer were wounded badly, left in swollen head and several fractures.

Supermarket promotion ended in hospital treatments, was totally out of the plan for the supermarket side. However, they did take the responsibility to take care of the wounded. There was another scenario. When one man appeared at checkout with four cases of oils, 10 people, waiting nearby, asserted that he was given the oil by his relations in the store. Soon the poor man had two cases looted by them.

That was exciting and amusing, if you connected with Shanghai, the shining star city which outstands other cities in China. If I were you, I would not judge Shanghai and the people there with this single incidents.

Original article from:
http://www.tianya.cn/new/publicforum/Content.asp?
strItem=free&idArticle=1033577

This post got hundreds of replies from a Chinese forum. In this post, the wife, with a full-time job, listed out her monthly expenses, which showed her family in an tight financial situation, and wanted to seek advice from others on the website.

The monthly income of her family was over 20,000 Yuan(more than 1300 Pounds), which was within the higher income earners’ range. Let’s have a look how she spent the money, and bear in mind that she lived in ShenZhen while her husband lived and worked in another city.

Rent 1500 Yuan

Mortgage payment 6300 Yuan

Family grocery bills(including husband) 2000 Yuan

Utility bill 600 Yuan

Land-line+mobile+Internet bill 350 Yuan

Work Lunch 300 Yuan

Party and socialising 800 Yuan

Preschool class tuition 800 Yuan

Child interests class 800 Yuan

Health Insurance and Car Insurance 750 Yuan

Books 200 Yuan

Clothes 1000 Yuan

Entertainment 500 Yuan

Fund investment 3000 Yuan

Medical expense 500 Yuan

Total 19800 Yuan

Unsurprisingly, this post received many unwelcoming comments, considering the lady was bragging off her wealth and extravagant living style, since her family income was much higher than most city white-collar families in the country. As they said, many overspend were avoidable, such as child’s education, clothes, because 1600 Yuan per month on a preschool age child was ridiculous, bear in mind that thousands Chinese families lived on 1600 Yuan monthly earnings.

Many lower income earners expressed their bitter sympathies that if the lady could be less extravagant, she should be fine. A few people made different versions expense list, exampled as below:

expense list for a cleaner couple

monthly salary: 600×2=1200 Yuan

extras: 200×2=400 Yuan

Income total: 1600 Yuan

Pay Out

Food bills: 50 Yuan (Packs of cheapest noodles, basic condiment like oil and salt. Free lunch and dinner provided by company)

Cigarettes: 10 Yuan (smoke leaves)

Rent: 250 Yuan (A 15 square meter room with a small toilet)

Utility bill: 20 Yuan (They have no television to save money)

Telephone bill: 10 Yuan (They have a pay as you mobile)

Transport fare: 8 Yuan ( Walk most time)

Socialising: 0 Yuan ( They meet friends at company dining hall)

Book: 0 Yuan ( They picked up books from litterings)

Insurance: 0 Yuan (They are healthy)

Clothes: 20 Yuan ( They buy from wholesale market)

Entertainment: 0 Yuan (Play cards or chat with friends)

Medical bill: 10 Yuan ( Buy cheap necessary pills, and avoid visiting doctors)

Share and fund investment: 0 Yuan ( Too far away)

Pay-out total: 378 Yuan

Yearly income: 1600×12=19200

Yearly payout: 378×12=4536

Yearly savings: 19200-4536=14664

Of the responders, there were ones in similar shoes. Most of them lived and worked in economically advanced big cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Living expenses nearly tripled compared to inland cities. It was really natural to spend money on quality life, otherwise what’s the meaning for working that hard. Almost all higher income family tried to put some money in saving, but they could not save many after they paid mortgage and other living expenses. However, there seemed to be a wiser man, who earned also 20,000 Yuan. He had paid off mortgage for first apartment, and started another one. One expense he did not have was child, which significantly made them financially better off, not to mention he got extra income from renting out his apartment. His advice was to live with what you have chosen, and moan less.