How does the Chinese economy work ?

[Long Pan]

Zhang works as an entrance guard in the building where I live in Beijing. He is 19, comes from Shanxi province and is quite proud about his green uniform. He never had time to visit the city as he is on duty everyday including week-end and public holidays. With his 2 colleagues they work in shift of 8 hours for 800 yuan a month, plus a bed in the basement dormitories next to the bikes parking. Two months ago one of Zhang's colleague left for a better job. As a transition, Zhang and Liu, the other guy from Henan, were asked to do extra shifts, which means to be on duty every 8 hours. I was indeed at first quite surprised to see Zhang at 7.30 am (in his 4.00 am to 12.00 shift) and then again in the evening from 8.00 pm to 4.00am. “But I earn more money” he tells me. “How much do you earn?” "1000 yuan" so 200 more than usual. Which means that the 2 of them doing extra work cost 400 yuan less than the regular 3 boys. Not surprising then that the management still hasn’t found someone to complete the team ! “But you must be tired”. “At first yes; but now I’m used to it”. Good for you then...

This example is one example among millions of others, common stories of Chinese migrants leaving the countryside to work in big cities. You find them in building sites, restaurants, shops, public transports, everywhere where you need a low qualified presence. Some have the privilege to wear an uniform and sit all day long doing nothing special but to look at a door, when others push, pull, carry all sort of things, part of this huge working force which builds the country. For the best they live in dormitories with 5 roommates, for the worst in some huts or under some tents in the building sites. They earn between 600 to 800 yuan with bed and food usually offered. They spend almost nothing and save the money for the familly and a better future.

This is how it works here. No economy miracle, but rather a human or social miracle.

[Lu]

It's this kind of people that I admire so much.

I met someone like that as well, a woman from Heilongjiang in Beijing. She has been working two or three jobs since she was 16, and studying on top of that, to finish first highschool and now university. She had come to BJ at some point, first lived way in the suburbs, where housing was cheaper, and travelling to the city every day to look for work. She wasn't very successful at first, and only found work when she was down to her last 20 yuan, with not even money left for the train home. Since then she had worked in all kinds of jobs. Along the way she met her husband ('I saw he was a good guy, so I thought, Hao, jiu shi ta ba'), who was from an even poorer family, also in the north. They were not really married yet (only officially), as they had no money for a banquet, because they were sending a lot home to his family. Her family was getting by by themselves. She told me all this over dinner, and then even tried to qing me. I didn't let her, and am afraid this made her loose face if not money.

She made a deep impression on me.

[Senzhi]

Very moving indeed. Please let more of these stories come: they show the real Chinese economy to the world.

... and it's pure 'survival' for many.

[Dani_man]

-I met a girl in a Beijing Olympic store, she told me that she for every workday she earns 40 yuans, so she earns about 1200-1500 yuan per month (including bonuses). She shares a room with 3 other girls somewhere in Beijing, for 200 per month. Try to save money, maybe for university. (10,000RMB per year at least).

-I know another girl that work in a university as a clerk, everyday. In vacation she has around 3 days off. I donno how much she earns, but I guess it is not much. Saving for the next phase, donno what it is.

-Met someone from farmers family, poor family. He has 4 brothers, and they all support his studying in the university, and I guess he's the only one to enjoy it from that family.

That's life in China, when your future is decided the moment you are born.

It's truly amazing what people will bear for a better future.

they show the real Chinese economy to the world

Have you ever been to India? Have you seen life there?

China do provide opportunities. The third guy I mentioned, at least has the chance to get his family out of it. I don't think it's the same in India, where professors protested against letting lower caste people to study in the university. Take into account that China in many ways is just like India. The booming economy comes out only in certain parts of the country - to the big cities. You can't expect the whole country to be like Beijing.

[Senzhi]

Dani,

Yes, I agree that there are opportunities, and that there are worse countries.

My point is that many in the world think of China as only Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. They are not really aware of how China really functions. It's a shock for them when they first visit China outside of the abovementioned cities.

As for India, people in the world are more aware of the situation there than in China.

At least that is what I feel, seeing how my friends back home talk about China and seeing their minds change once they have visited.

[Lu]

That's life in China, when your future is decided the moment you are born.

I don't think that's the case. Upward mobility is really difficult, but it's possible, and that's exactly what they are all working so hard for. The boy sweeping hairs in the hair dresser's shop will one day cut hair himself, and still later he might open his own shop. The woman I met will finish her university degree, like she managed to finish her high school, and hopefully find better jobs. And everybody, down to the poorest farmer, sees the benefits of education, and will do anything in their power to send their kid to school.

[shanghaikai]

Senzhi, these people you say think all of China is like Beijing or Shanghai, have they actually been to either? Most, if not all, people I know who have traveled to China cannot help but encounter and realize the poverty that most of its citizens survive despite the glistening skyscrapers. One of the things we like doing with some our tours is to actually show the uglier side of China rather than just a continuous stream of pretty and dolled-up sights. One example is any city would just be the train station and the hordes of migrant workers lounging about trying to figure out what their next step is. Visiting a construction worker's shanty or any of the older, neglected parts of town accomplishes many of the same things. The idea is to provide a contrast and more accurate portrayal of China and its society in flux and transition than what the official literature and propoganda wants us (and especially foreign tourists) to see.

[skylee]

And everybody, down to the poorest farmer, sees the benefits of education, and will do anything in their power to send their kid to school.

It's been like this all along.

[Senzhi]

Of course, wouldn't you?

[ZooKeeper]

How does the Chinese economy work?

Easy answer:

Puppeteers reforms... enslaving million of peoples to 16 hours work per day, 2 days off per month, parking them into concrete box by the dozen, and paying them just enough money for them to buy rice, vegetables and chicken.

Anymore question???

[madizi]

Shenzi, I agree with you. People in West just see Beijing, Shanghai and other developed cities. But even in those cities one can see poverty. One just needs to go off main streets and see not-so-glittering concrete holes.

Before I came to Changsha, I spent three days in Shenzhen and contrast is really big. Shenzhen - skyscrapers all around and everything very modern. Changsha - not so modern, many old buildings and you can see more poor people here than in Shenzhen. But I expected something like that, because I was two times in China during my sinology study (Chengdu and Jinan).

But on the other hand, Changsha is still not so "westernized" as above mentioned cities. And that's one of the reasons why I like to live here.

[reisen]

Now china have a great process.

Accumulating seed capital.(don't know if my writing is right in english.)

England has done it 300 hundred years ago, Germany 200 year, Japan 100 Years.

And China now.

The past, other countries get money from robbing, colonial domination.

But for china. it runs by those hard workers, and destroy the inviorment

[madizi]

Good point. In Europe, our ancestors went through the same process like China is going through today. But in schools we just learn how magnificent this "industrial revolution" was...

[Lu]

Don't know about your school Madizi, but I also learned about the harrowing circumstances of the factory workers in that time, how 5-year-old children had to work from early in the morning to late at night, and live 'six to a shoebox', as someone has put it. The stuff that made Marx come up with Marxism.

[madizi]

Yes, of course we also learned about that because we had socialism when I was in primary school. I don't know, there's maybe more emphasis on good sides of industrial revolution and not so much on bad sides.

[Josh2007]

Long Pan, I feel this is highly illegal to make someone work 8 hours on 8 hours off on a continuous basis. That way 100% of his nonsleeping time is work

[Dani_man]

If 2/3 of the factories are held by western companies, I guess some of the criticism here should be directed to them. For Nike It's was very easy to turn a blind eye to until the campaign was took over against child abuse in Asia. I do not know how much of this phenomena is still exist regarding to foreign companies, but I guess it's still there (is anyone up for a boycott?).

Regarding the Chinese own industry, like the coal mining industry, it's another story, I guess it's even worse. I heard a HORRIBLE story of kids kidnapped from a train station to slavery work in a mine, with no reaction from the authorities regardless of repeating demands by their parents. As far as I know, eventually they published it on the internet which led to more pressure on the police to work harder, and the parents had to "mediate" with the owner. (I'm sorry to be with no exact details of where and when, but I know it was in Chinese local media).

[gato]

I heard a HORRIBLE story of kids kidnapped from a train station to slavery work in a mine,

It was brick factories in Shanxi.

See

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/176-chinese-poetry48

Speechless Image

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/176-chinese-poetry47

"We need investigative journalists" courageous editorial

[Long Pan]

Long Pan, I feel this is highly illegal to make someone work 8 hours on 8 hours off on a continuous basis

Like it is illegal for universities to hire foreign teachers for the summer holidays on a F visa without contract - but still many do it, even the most famous. As long as it is provisory, non-contractual and that all the parties agree, who cares Josh ?

[gougou]

Long Pan, I feel this is highly illegal to make someone work 8 hours on 8 hours off on a continuous basis. That way 100% of his nonsleeping time is work

That's only true if you sleep a total of 12 hours per day.