Need help regarding money and wealth in Chinese culture

[Merry Baneblade]

Greetings. I would like to know what place does wealth, money and all things related to it take in Chinese culture? For instance, a lot of fairy tales very often have motives of money: hero receives enough money to live happily ever after, more often than that he also marries the princess; dragon caves are filled with gold and jewels, slav Koschei, etc. Same goes for mythology and religion, Midas would be the perfect example. Are there any proverbs related to wealth? It would also be nice to find out if there are any difference in opinion on the subject in different provinces. I can guess they should vary.

[abcdefg]

Are you just talking about fairy tale "once upon a time" or are you including today?

 

Are you writing a term paper in school? 

[geraldc]

Chinese new year/spring festival is most important celebration in Chinese calendar.

Most important phrase for Chinese New year is about making money.

Gift everyone gives for Chinese New year is money

Most important god, 财神 god of money. 

Half the stuff we eat, is because they are homophones to words related to money/riches

The lion in the lion dance eats lettuce as it sounds like making money

 

Imagine something bigger than Christmas, but replace baby Jesus, Santa, reindeer and Turkey all with money

[Dawei3]

5 hours ago, geraldc said:

 

Imagine something bigger than Christmas, but replace baby Jesus, Santa, reindeer and Turkey all with money

geraldc - I really liked your post!  Fun & informative!  

[abcdefg]

The most common word in the Chinese language today is 钱 (qian -- money.) You won't go a day without hearing it many times on the street in ordinary conversation among locals. Not just when out shopping. You will hear it on the bus, you will hear it on the metro. You will overhear people saying it to each other in any restaurant. 

 

When first arriving here, I cannot begin to count how many times strangers casually asked me how much my shoes cost, how much my watch cost, how much my plane ticket cost, how much does my hotel room cost, how much do I earn back home, how much did I pay for lunch. 

 

"I went to the movies yesterday."

The reply is not "Oh. What did you see?" Or, "Was it a good film?" 

Instead the reply is "How much did the ticket cost?" 门票多少钱？

 

China is money obsessed, fixated on the cost of material things, at least at some very important level. It has taken a long time for me to get used to this behavior and to think of it as normal for China. 

[889]

I've noticed this, too. Indeed, you'd have to be deaf not to.

 

Just listen to people around you talking. (A great way to improve your listening skills, by the way.) Then count down till money rears up in the conversation somehow. It won't be long: just seconds usually.

[DavyJonesLocker]

On 1/17/2020 at 1:54 PM, abcdefg said:

The most common word in the Chinese language today is 钱 (qian -- money.)

 

2nd 贵

3rd 便宜  

[suMMit]

Few things in life are as important as money. And the things that are as important are hard to get without money. Just saying.

[abcdefg]

On 1/19/2020 at 5:48 PM, suMMit said:

Few things in life are as important as money. And the things that are as important are hard to get without money. Just saying.

 

Yes, that's true everywhere in the world, east, west, north, south. But only in China have I heard so much emphasis on it. In many places, US for one, it's considered somewhat impolite to always talk about money, especially with strangers. Not so in China, at least I don't think so, at least from what I have seen. 

 

Must confess that I don't know whether it's true to the same extent in other Asian countries. Not speaking those languages beyond some simple tourist phrases means I can't overhear conversations, accidentally or on purpose. 

 

Does anyone know if the same thing is true all over Asia? To the same very noticeable extent as in China?