Student Discounts and Discrimination

[gato]

Hope you won’t mind if I say that I find this stereotype slightly unfair. It may have to do with the people I associate with. But at least in large cities, the amount of local people that look very poor, and then turn out owning expensive flats and fat bank accounts, is fairly extraordinary. And there are thousands of students from all over the world in Beijing or Shanghai, including some very poor countries (compared to China).

I think you are just talking about the outliers, e.g., the wealthiest 10% of Chinese students vs. the poorest 10% of foreign students.

[carlo]

I think you are just talking about the outliers

Good question. I found this with some 2009 data on numbers of foreign students in China. If we look only at the listed nationalities (13), there are I think five countries (Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Mongolia) that have lower GDP per capita than China. That’s I think almost a fourth of the total. It’s a rough estimate, but still, the correlation “foreign student = rich student” is not that strong.

As for taxes, foreigners in China pay income tax (on worldwide income after five years of stay), students don’t only because they have no income....

[xiaocai]

How about "in average"? And don't forget that students from the listed countries are not of the same number.

Students don't pay tax but Chinese students are Chinese citizens and the government will be responsible for their welfare (even though Chinese government often fails this responsibility), and I do not see anything wrong when people of Chinese nationality are favoured at tax funded facilities.

[gato]

Good question. I found this with some 2009 data on numbers of foreign students in China. If we look only at the listed nationalities (13), there are I think five countries (Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Mongolia) that have lower GDP per capita than China. That’s I think almost a fourth of the total. It’s a rough estimate, but still, the correlation “foreign student = rich student” is not that strong.

From some of the stories above, it seems that this price discrimination is mostly practiced against white foreign students, using skin color as a proxy for their country of origin.

A Chinese friend who returned from graduate school in the US tried to use his US student ID when we went to several tourist spots. It worked at some places and not at others. I think the rationale for the student discount is obviously economic, that the discount is sometimes denied because of the perception that students from more wealthy countries can pay the full fare.

[carlo]

Mmmh we’ll have to stop at some level of detail. Personally I have some doubts that the ticket checking staff can instantly tell apart the poor Pakistani students from members of the English royal family. Unfortunately, no data is available on the average income of “white-looking” people, so I shall rest my case.

Technically speaking, if tax-funded facilities are to favour those who pay taxes and their dependents, then it’s only fair that they discriminate on the basis of residence, rather than nationality. People pay taxes mainly where they live and work, which is where they contribute to GDP.

[xiaocai]

And international students obvious don't really work in China I suppose, nor do most of their parents. And my bad, I didn't make it clear that I was talking about "student concession" in my previous post, but I just thought that it is all this thread is about.

[abcdefg]

What I find fault with is their methodology.

I understand your point.

[歐博思]

I feel better after ranting now, so I am going to leave this dog to rest. I leave you with this relevant idiom:

挂羊头，卖狗肉

[mike39]

I have gotten in many arguments with people at the ticket counter despite my being enrolled in a Chinese University. Some places will only extend a student discount to Chinese nationals who are students in China. This has always irked me and I chalk it up to nationalism with Chinese characteristics.

[Sky Harbor]

Some places will only extend a student discount to Chinese nationals who are students in China. This has always irked me and I chalk it up to nationalism with Chinese characteristics.

As it was mentioned earlier, this phenomenon is not unique to China, but if you're willing to fight for your discount, then do so. Our class went to Chimelong Paradise in Guangzhou a few weeks ago: the ticket staff wanted to deny us the student discount (even with the pertinent paperwork), but some of my classmates who speak better Chinese were able to get us the discount, no matter how small it was.

At least China gives student discounts. In the Philippines, save for discounts on some forms of public transport and at some museums, students don't get discounts at all.

[DullM]

I concede that I don't know if it is discrimination or not. But since I got cheated on my very first taxi ride in China, perhaps I have a biased view now.

Fake students are quite common in China and some non-Chinese faces can look quite older than their real age in the Chinese eyes. Perhaps the ticket officer got cheated on her first ticket selling so she refused to believe your student card? If that's the case, both of you are good at generalizing some bad experience. It's a good match.

Fairly speaking, i think that the rule on most discounts for people who hold a tour guide license or student card are confusingly practiced in China. My friends sometimes can get a price cut, sometimes not. For foreigners, it's easy to tell that it's discrimination. For the Chinese, they blame that the government sucks.

[abcdefg]

...and some non-Chinese faces can look quite older than their real age in the Chinese eyes.

That's really interesting to me, @DuliM. I had thought it was the other way around; that Chinese people usually guess the age of adult westerners, especially older adult westerners, as being younger than they really are. When local people ask how old I am and I answer truthfully, they say "Oh, you look younger" but of course that may just be an effort to be polite.

[carlo]

And international students obvious don't really work in China I suppose, nor do most of their parents. And my bad, I didn't make it clear that I was talking about "student concession" in my previous post, but I just thought that it is all this thread is about.

Sorry xiaocai, just saw this. I think I only mentioned this as a kind of ideal “best practice”. It’s a subtle difference I know, but I find it fairer to those who have been living in a foreign country for a long time, have paid taxes and raised families, and are otherwise unable to become citizens. They do exist.

[xiaocai]

Yes, maybe Chinese government should introduce a system similar to green card in US and maple card in Canada, but I don't see that happen in recent future...