How do ordinary Chinese people live?

When I travel, I always find it interesting to see how people live. local people. Agree, hotels are the same everywhere, if they are not some conceptual hotels or interesting hostels. Last year, my relatives came to visit me and were very pleased to see how ordinary Chinese apartments look like. If you are also interested, then read on:

The Chinese economy is now the first in the world, so it is not surprising that new buildings are growing by leaps and bounds. Apartments are being sold at every turn, agents and barkers are on the alert. The old houses are demolished and a new skyscraper is built in their place. This is especially felt in the center. The owners of the former old houses in the center are being relocated to new residential complexes in sleeping areas with all amenities. But some residents actively resist this and stay in their homes to the last, living there without water and electricity. And I thought, why is that? Isn't it easier to go to a sleeping area, but to a more spacious and new apartment? And then I realized that those residents mostly keep small shops selling food or repairing bicycles. These shops pass to the current owners from their parents, and they received from their parents, and so on. And this man repaired bicycles all his life, and everyone there knew him, there was always enough for rice and chicken. He’s been doing just that all his life, and now a manager in a formal suit comes to him, puts the keys in and says: “Move, dude!”. And where should he go? By the way, many people rent out their apartments on the outskirts, sleep in their own shop or huddle somewhere.

When renting a residential building, they always try to make some kind of park or square so that there is where to walk and relax, and a school is also attached, Kindergarten, a supermarket and sometimes a hospital. "Everything for the people" - this is especially strongly felt in China. In China, several houses are combined into compounds or gardens. They have their own security and maintenance.

If you look into the apartment of any Chinese hostess, you will certainly find a double boiler (rice cooker) and a wok pan. In Asia, it is found everywhere. When we first moved to China, I couldn’t understand how their fried foods are so crispy and low-fat. The whole secret, it turns out, lies in the wok. The classic wok has a curved spherical bottom and is found mainly in cafes and restaurants. In the photo - more compact home version. Food is prepared in a wok quickly and retains all its beneficial features precisely because of this bottom. This bottom allows the wok to get very hot. high temperature and reduces cooking time. With such cooking, it’s impossible to doze off or solve something at the same time, you need to constantly mix and fry quickly, quickly. How do I usually cook? I covered the pan with a lid, and I can read, answer letters or cut a salad. With such a frying pan it will not work! It is necessary to start frying when the oil begins to slowly smoke. What is your favorite Chinese dish? By the way, an omelet is being prepared on the left.

In the photo: a variant of a small studio apartment. In general, it is customary for the Chinese to rent apartments with such minimal repairs. If a person is undemanding, then just bring the furniture and start living.

This is what the "draft" version looks like. And this is a standard kitchen. If you wish, you can already change it yourself, but apartment owners usually do not change. The kitchen for the Chinese is primarily a place for cooking food. It can be microscopic and compact. "Everything is at your fingertips," so to speak. Some of my friends refuse to rent an apartment after the Chinese, because the kitchen there is simply dead. And this is true if the hosts were actively preparing. The entire ceiling and stove, despite the hood, is very greasy.

They eat and drink tea already in the hall, which is combined with the living room. Therefore, the hall is not considered a room. For instance, two-roomed flat- this is a hall + 1 bedroom + 1 room. One-room - hall + 1 bedroom. Very convenient, by the way.

Almost all apartments have one like this technical balcony where a washing machine, dryer or even a refrigerator is installed. So from the loggias, the Chinese arrange a garden with fish or rest there on rattan furniture.

The bathroom is always combined. If the apartment has three rooms, then in most cases there are two bathrooms: one in the bedroom, the other in the corridor between the rooms.

I'm already used to the lack of a bathroom as such. Showers everywhere. These showers with a glass partition are the perfect solution for a small space.

Since Guangzhou is south, there are fans and air conditioners everywhere. There is always a fan in the kitchen and bathroom, due to the high humidity, the risk of mold growth increases.

The rental market in China is very developed. Lease terms vary from province to province. I will announce the rental conditions in Guangzhou:

When renting an apartment, a contract is concluded, which specifies the terms of the lease, a deposit, the condition of the furniture. As a rule, the minimum lease period is 1 year. A deposit is charged in the amount of 2 months of the rental rate. If the contract is terminated before the deadline, the deposit is not refundable. The rent remains fixed for the entire duration of the contract. Some enter into a contract for 2-3 years, the price remains fixed, while the rental market is growing.

It seems to me that it is very good to conclude such contracts, you feel protected, the owners will not ask you to suddenly vacate the apartment. Yes, and the owners feel good: tenants will not flutter from apartment to apartment.

I have never met with restrictions, such as we do not rent to people with children and animals, or we increase the cost of rent. The walls in the houses are always white, there are no wallpapers, although China is the birthplace of wallpapers. But in the south, during the high humidity season, they just fall off. According to the rules, the owners must rent a renovated and clean apartment. If this did not happen, then you can hire a cleaning lady and ask for compensation for her wages. When we first moved into our apartment, the gas did not work for us, they said that they would connect it within 5 days. I said, "OK, no problem. I'll eat at restaurants, keep all the receipts, and you pay me all this." The gas was connected the next day. If something breaks in the apartment through no fault of the tenants, then you usually contact the agency or the owner directly and resolve this issue. In fact, everything is always individual. If the hostess lives nearby, then she herself will come, talk to the master and settle accounts with him. And if not, you can pay at the check-out. The main thing is to know your rights. And then here some air conditioners were bought at their own expense ...

In addition to the bill for water, electricity and gas according to the meters, a bill for the maintenance of the house is charged separately. Calculated based on square meters regardless of the number of residents. In our compound for an apartment of 60 sq. the metro is about 250 yuan (2500 rubles). For that kind of money, we get a well-groomed territory, garbage removal every hour, garbage cans in a special room on the floor, security at each entrance, and cleaning in the entrances. In houses with a concierge, the payment is slightly more expensive. Underground parking is paid separately and costs approximately 450 yuan / month (4500 rubles)

This is how rich Chinese live: in a separate 3-storey mansion. Cost from 1 million dollars. But it is not very convenient to live in such houses, there are too many insects, although pest control is always carried out. You have to constantly process, store all sweets in the refrigerator. Therefore, the higher the floor, the more expensive price for rent.

Of course, each country has its own peculiarities of life. The Chinese economy today ranks first in the world. And yes, this is a developing country, that is, a country where there is development. Being here, I always feel that if something is being built or done, then they are trying to do it for people, and not just make money on it.

Many people who come here think they are going to some very agrarian, backward, unknown country. Yes, China still has to go and go up to the high standards of Western countries, but China has its own way. And this forms the diversity of our world, but all people are similar in their desire for comfort and security. And this is actually very good, because the lack of comfort detracts from the dignity of a person, reduces his self-esteem and undermines self-confidence.

Favorites

I don't really like going to markets, but the total economy regime forces me to visit such places. Once, while buying a new thing for myself, I met a saleswoman, she came from China to build her business here. We struck up a friendship. The girl told me how ordinary Chinese people live, explained why they value their health so much, I will share the information received with you.

China: new values

China is called the Celestial Empire because there are many mountains in the country that support the sky, and people also live there. Maybe they see the world better, but beautiful landscapes they see exactly. Therefore, they live differently.

Just want to highlight the men. Guys in China are very dependent on women (the younger generation). Because women are not inferior to men, working in factories, building a successful business and slowly giving birth to children. Girls are immersed in the world of business and calmly do men's work.

Personal life

There are more men in China, but the number of single women is still growing. There was even an interesting service “Groom for an hour”. A successful Chinese woman goes to an agency and chooses a fiancé to meet her parents. The groom must smile, maintain a secular conversation, answer questions from the relatives of the temporary bride (everything except marital duty). Girls take the groom for an hour so that their parents do not worry about their future. In particular, they did not ask one annoying question: “When will you get married?”

How do the Chinese live and relax?

In China, they work well and have good fun. For example, young people visit clubs, bars.

The older generation devotes time to their health. They go to Hainan. This is a city of clinics and health centers. People come here because it is believed that Hainan has the most fresh air.

Here they undergo the most dangerous procedures:

• Fire massage.
• Beauty injections - sheep tendon tissue is injected under the skin to tighten the skin and remove excess fat.
• Electric massage.

Men and women take care of themselves and are ready to spend a considerable amount to be healthy, because good health is the basis of a carefree life in harmony with oneself.

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When I was in medical school, we had a lot of Chinese in our group. In the first years, we almost did not communicate with him, as we did not understand each other well. But, having learned Russian, they began to make contact. During our friendship, the Chinese talked a lot about their lives.

Realities of Chinese life

I, like many people, used to think that China is a continuous celebration of life, where everyone has a luxury car and the latest technology. But when I saw the usual residential areas of one of the Chinese cities, I did not believe my eyes. It seemed to me that I was walking along the street of an ordinary Russian city during the Soviet era:

• the streets of the sleeping areas are the same as ours - narrow, dirty and with bad roads;
• multi-storey buildings have the same appearance (cladding, access doors, porch) as our houses;

• fences are generally something (most of the yards are surrounded by a home-made crooked picket fence).

One of the residential areas in China

In our country, we have long been accustomed to seeing shops and markets littered with Chinese goods. Therefore, it was a matter of honor to explore the markets of the greatest plagiarist country. But even here disappointment awaited me - rickety buildings, broken trash cans in the area, dirty counters and the same women in oilcloth aprons (Chinese, please note), weighing fish and meat.

Many, of course, in China and fabulously rich people. The most interesting thing is that luxury and poverty peacefully coexist with each other.

Features of the Chinese character

The Chinese are quite an interesting nation. They are good-natured, hospitable and smile a lot. hallmark The Chinese have a habit of talking loudly and constantly arguing.

How is the day of an ordinary Chinese

Early in the morning, every Chinese goes to work, where he works very productively until 12 noon, and then sleeps right at the workplace. After work, it is obligatory to visit a cafe (the Chinese do not cook at home - many do not even have a kitchen).

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I can't call myself a fashionista: my entire wardrobe is tagged "Made in China". There are no branded items, only luxury copies (can't buy expensive items). Asians have cleverly learned to fake things. I became interested in how they live, and I learned invaluable information that I am ready to shock you with today.

Chinese life

Another country - an incomprehensible world. We will never fully understand the traditions of the Chinese, but it is worth trying to live one day as they live. In order to diversify their identical everyday life.

The schedule of every Chinese is very busy. Because these people have long established themselves as a hardworking and disciplined nation. No matter how hurried the inhabitant of Hong Kong to work, he must do exercises in the morning. A healthy lifestyle is one of the secrets of longevity.

Busy hours ahead. But lunch and rest according to the schedule. As soon as the clock strikes 12, the Chinese "capture" restaurants en masse. In the truest sense of the word. There is no place for an apple to fall (cafes are overcrowded with visitors).

In China, there is a tradition: after dinner, sleep for half an hour. And after a working day, the Chinese, like most people, tend to quickly get home and spend dinner with a noisy conversation. Only weekends are different (clubs, day trips).

unknown facts

China is an advanced country. But, some facts about her are simply terrifying:

• In China, there is a strange profession - a body finder. This is a person who searches for and gets corpses in lakes, on the streets.
• In the provinces and does not smell of scientific progress (they move on donkeys).
• There are dating sites where you can choose a girl for a week.
• China's population is growing rapidly, the government does not know what to do with this problem.

The Celestial Empire is a big anthill, which also has its own problems.

fakes

China is famous all over the world for fakes. At what quality and not very. The economy boomed thanks to enterprising businessmen. Now you can buy an iPhone not for 1500, but for 250 dollars. Household appliances, clothes, shoes, cars - everything is forged!

The Chinese live in a tense regime, but they also receive the fruits of their work.

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At work, I have to communicate with residents of the port cities of China, I can say that people all over the country, regardless of social status, are united by inexhaustible optimism. Where the Russian folds his hands and falls into depression, the Chinese will sculpt new projects, whether it be sewing socks from silkworms or the production of stainless steel.

Chinese people live differently

There is a noticeable stratification into rich and poor, and, despite the stable growth of the economy as a whole in the country, someone literally bathes in luxury, and part of the population lives in terrible poverty. Youth in search a better life rushes to large cities, it is not uncommon for parents to work in the city, coming to visit their children in the village once a year.

Beauty in Chinese

Northern Chinese, they are also Manchus, as a rule, stocky short people with crooked legs. This is what is called the working class. Found in the north pretty girls, but just cute, nothing more. But in the south you can meet a real Chinese princess, especially if you taxi to some fashionable boutique or luxury hotel. Such ladies are not less than 180 in height, porcelain-white skin, operated eyes, and this beauty will weigh no more than 45 kg. Among the stewardesses of southern airlines, I also saw incredible girls. Eyes like saucers, long extended eyelashes, perfect skin, you even doubt that it is real. The southerners, both men and women, have softer facial features, are tall, and, as they say, aristocracy is felt.

By the way, in China, you can make a good modeling career, having only the following signs:

• European appearance;
• high growth;
• blond/blonde/red hair.

Family Institute in China

Once we got into a conversation with a young guy from Shenzhen, he complained about how expensive life is in the city, how difficult it is to earn a living and how difficult it is to find a bride. In China, there are more men than women, so matriarchy reigns. There are 10 Chinese guys for one pretty Chinese woman.

The girls are capricious and rule the men. Leaders often meet large factories and female factories.

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Before talking about how the Chinese live, it should be understood that China, despite its apparent similarity, country is very different. Usually we are shown it from one side - the one where the megacities, production and high technologies. I was personally shocked when I saw its underside in the form of traditional villages with subsistence farming.

How do Chinese people live in the provinces?

Chinese way of life outback changed little over time. The peasants are the same cultivate the land, raise livestock, engaged in traditional crafts and in the evenings they get together to relax and have fun. Yes, there are technologies, but they have not penetrated into life as much as in big cities. As a person accustomed to life in a computer-phone-concrete box mode, I find this charming.

If you are a person with European appearance(and especially white-skinned and fair-haired), then be prepared to become main focus local residents. They will point fingers at you, or even touch you. No one will understand your indignation in English (and even in Chinese), and also will try to deceive you and squeeze more money (for locals, white means rich).

Life in the Chinese metropolis

But life in a big city is already much more familiar to me. But still only partly: too much there features.

1. There is no personal space. The Chinese are used to the fact that there is always a crowd around and it is useless to fence off from it, so constantly pushing each other and paving the way in the crowd with your elbows is in the order of things.
2. The Chinese hardly cook at home. Street food is here cult, it is cheap, and therefore few people spend time on home cooking.
3. The Chinese are uneducated in the understanding of the European man. They can publicly relieve their natural needs, and they also eat very untidy. I lose all appetite when the Chinese are dining nearby. But in their culture loud champing only means that they like the food.

The strength of the Chinese state

The Chinese live under constant control. The Internet is closed (for open you need to go to Hong Kong), no anonymity and the party is vigilantly watching to make sure someone doesn't say something superfluous. I wouldn’t be able to live like that for sure. Where do the Chinese live

Probably, most stereotypes about Chinese life are associated with their diet and housing. We are used to thinking that all Chinese are crowded into tiny apartments of 10 square meters, however, this is not so. Of course, this also happens, but a resident of a big city can easily afford decent apartment. Basically, the apartments are located in tall skyscrapers30–50 floors. Often these are even entire complexes of buildings, with very well developed infrastructure. Usually the younger generation lives in such houses. Old people, on the other hand, often live in old houses that are planned to be demolished in order to build new skyscrapers.

Chinese life in the big city

I don't know about the outskirts, but the city reigns incredible turmoil- in the morning people rush to work, in the evening - from it. But in the afternoon, when everyone has already gone to work, it becomes very quiet and calm on the street. By the way, I advise you to take photos at this time, so no one accidentally “climbs” into the frame.

With transport in China it is difficult, because of road congestion getting to the right place on time will be difficult. About a taxi in general, a separate conversation, because in addition to ordinary cars, here you can often meet moto taxi, and although this method of transportation is much faster, it is officially prohibited, so I do not advise choosing this type of taxi.

Chinese habits

In the daily life of the Chinese, there are also some features that depend on urban conditions and established traditions. So:

• They love healthy food(even street food here consists of healthy ingredients and is steamed, or simply peeled fruits and vegetables are sold in cups);
• most people in the city rides bicycles, or mopeds and motorcycles;
• the Chinese are very love to eat(surprisingly, they eat everywhere and always);
• love to drink tea(no matter how stereotypical it may sound, but it is true, and they make tea just delicious);
• after work they, like us, like to watch popular shows on TV.

Of course, these are far from all the features of life in China, but general idea you can get.

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China is, without exaggeration, another planet, its population lives by its own laws, different from those that rule in the so-called "civilized" world.

Faktrum tells what is wrong with modern China.

1. The problem of fakes is more serious than you think.

Everyone knows that craftsmen from the Celestial Empire create millions of fake goods disguised as products of large companies - Chinese Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags are flooded with markets all over the world, and Chinese similarities of Apple devices have long become a byword. In addition to gadgets and branded clothing, archeological and paleontological artifacts (say, dinosaur fossils) and even ... Meat are faked in China.

Counterfeiting of banknotes is extremely widespread in the country - even ATMs can give you counterfeit money

In the country, cases of selling the meat of rats, foxes and minks under the guise of, for example, lamb are quite common, so when traveling around the Middle Kingdom, carefully observe where the seller takes the right product from. If he separated a piece of meat from a completely trustworthy-looking carcass before your eyes, you can take it, but if they try to foist something that does not inspire confidence on you, it is better to refrain from buying a “delicacy” with a dubious origin. Many tourists are shocked by the sight of carcasses hanging right on display cases, but this is not just native exoticism - this is how butchers signal to buyers: "Here they sell good meat, without deception."

In China, everything that can be faked is counterfeited - including, school textbooks. Needless to say, counterfeiting of banknotes is extremely common in the country - even ATMs can give you counterfeit money.

2. China is run by bureaucracy and inefficiency

Be prepared to spend hours answering questions and signing documents in Chinese government and commercial institutions. Exchange a couple of counterfeit banknotes - there is nothing "easier"! Give your passport for scanning, fill out a dozen forms and go through officials to get multiple stamps.

A huge number of officials, tons of official papers and " strict control over everything” in fact have practically no effect on the standard of living of the Chinese (rather, they even worsen it). The most telling example is the disgusting quality of buildings, roads and infrastructure. Once, Qiu Baoxing himself, deputy head of the Ministry of Construction, said that the average service life of buildings built in the country is from 25 to 30 years. Information regularly comes from the Middle Kingdom about collapsed bridges, sudden failures in highways and similar incidents, but the ruling party prefers to talk about the "great achievements of the Chinese people" and not about "petty misunderstandings", such as the death of dozens of workers under the rubble of new buildings.

3. For the Chinese, white people are a "fashion accessory"

Some large Chinese corporations hire Americans and Europeans to sit in their offices, giving the appearance of "success" and attracting new customers. Appearing in public in the company of white people, the Chinese increase their social status in the eyes of others - in other words, whites play the role of "expensive trinkets."

Often, when applying for a job, skin color is more important than professional skills - having an ethnic European on the staff is much more prestigious than, for example, an African American, even if the latter has a higher qualification. Many establishments offer free drinks to whites literally from the doorway and do their best to keep such enviable customers. European or American at the bar - the best advertisement!

The Chinese are literally crazy about the "white" culture - more and more new ones are emerging in the country settlements, built in the traditional European or American style, not to mention the fact that in almost every city there is a copy of some world-famous architectural landmark of the Old or New World.

4. The government controls everything. Everything!

The desire of the Communist Party of China to control citizens has long been circulated not only by rumors, but by whole legends. Of course, some of these shocking "facts" are greatly exaggerated, but many ordinary aspects of life, for example, Chinese civil servants, will not be dreamed of by a resident of a democratic country even in a nightmare.

In China, the party decides what is good for the people of the country and what is bad - for example, once one of the officials of Hubei province ordered subordinates to smoke more to raise tax revenues from the sale of cigarettes

For example, all women working in public institutions must undergo regular gynecological examinations without fail in order to confirm their adherence to the party's "one-child policy". Against this background, the practice of distributing discount cards of Chinese abortion clinics through pregnancy tests looks rather harmless, although, for example, in some conservative American states, this would provoke a huge scandal.

In China, the party decides what is good for the people of the country and what is bad - for example, one of the Hubei province officials once ordered his subordinates to smoke more in order to increase tax collection from the sale of cigarettes and thereby boost the region's economy. Recently, family relations are also in the sphere of government interests - a couple of years ago, a law was passed according to which every Chinese is obliged to take care of his elderly relatives. If elderly parents live separately, children must visit them with a certain frequency, in case of non-compliance with this prescription, relatives have the right to sue. We could go on and on about the bizarre twists and turns in the course of China's ruling party, but the best thing to do is to visit this amazing country and see everything with your own eyes!

Instead of an intro:
Our names are Gregory and Natalie. We are 25 or more. And we are enthusiastic, mobile and gambling. It so happened that at the moment we live in China. We live in a small, non-international and almost unknown city on the Southeast coast. Few tourists see such China as we see it - not touristic, everyday, China from the inside. The text below is our notes about life in China, these are the amazing and incomprehensible things that we constantly encounter, this is our real reality. And please read slowly.

Live in China. Like this?
In general, this is interesting. We have not been here for so long, so everything around still continues to surprise us daily. There is so much mixed up here that, as we understand, the Chinese themselves often cannot figure it out. This is some kind of incomprehensible territory. Compare China with any European country not needed at all. It's incomparable. Nothing will work. Therefore, we do not compare anything - we tell everything as it is. Of course, our view of the world is subjective, but we are not state. com. statistics...
So, China through the eyes of the layman:

There is constant movement in China. Everything is moving, moving and moving. Wherever you go and wherever you look, you will see the Chinese busy with something. Either they work, which is more likely, or they eat, which is also almost everywhere, or they argue about something. The totality of these three actions is the state of aggregation of the Chinese. There are a lot of people everywhere. You can go to any open cafe or restaurant at night - no matter what time, at four or five in the morning - and in this restaurant more than half of the seats will be occupied for sure. You can go out on the balcony of your apartment at night and see that the traffic on the street has not decreased at all. Yesterday we returned home late and, passing by the tennis court, we saw two Chinese people playing tennis in our yard. In uniform, in white sneakers, with good rackets - at four o'clock in the morning!!
The Chinese are everywhere and always. But they are very different. People are well differentiated by social level. Lots of poor people. Lots of rich people. All of them peacefully coexist with each other in close proximity. There are no elite areas and no Harlems. A high-rise skyscraper can stand right in the middle of a slum, and an elite 5-star hotel can be surrounded by poor areas with two-story shacks and sewers. Just like a brand new Ferrari can stand at the crossroads between cycle rickshaws and three-wheeled dusty scooters. All this is cooked in a single boiler. If you go outside any city and go along any road - on the sides of it you will not see forests and fields - you will see the fences of factories and factories - one replacing the other ... In any direction. There are thousands of them here. These can be small factories with up to 500 people, and ultra-modern factories with world-famous names with no clear number of people at all. All of them work at an incredible speed. All of them are making money every day. Any of the owners of these plants is a wealthy person. Any of them can afford a shiny luxury Mercedes and a 500 meter house or apartment. There are definitely more millionaires here than in Austrian resorts. But, with all this, hundreds of workers work at each plant, who receive 100 bucks a month. And there are an incredible number of them too. In general, it is still difficult for us to understand how it all works and harmoniously coexists.
Food is a common hobby of all Chinese people. In the morning, afternoon, evening and night, all restaurants and cafes are more than half full. The Chinese are everywhere and they eat everywhere. Everyone eats. They eat snakes, toads, worms, scorpions, insects, all animals, including dogs and mice, and all entrails, including fried intestines and deep-fried lungs. Wow you say!? Okay, you can get used to it. In the evening, these glass stalls on wheels come out onto the street. They drive out to the middle of the sidewalk, the stallholders laying out various parts of animals and seasonings in a glass case. All this is fried and steamed in front of you on a high fire and in a large amount of oil. You can try the ears, snout, udder, lungs and much more .... In front of these "glasses" there are usually 5-7 low stools where you can sit down and eat everything you just bought. In this case, the bones and skin should be chewed well, and then spit out on the floor in front of you. You can champ without embarrassment - everyone champs - this is the norm. 15 meters from this "glass" is the entrance to a respectable restaurant. There is a soft lounge, subdued lights, a 46-page menu, and remote call buttons on the tables for waiters. On the menu: steaks, fried potatoes, spaghetti balanese, the best European wines, Carlsberg beer, and great fruit cocktails. Having dinner in such a place you relax and after a few minutes you forget what you just saw on the street. The distance between these two worlds is 15 steps.
Versatility and contrast everywhere. You can go into the courtyard of a multi-storey new building, such as the one we live in, and see an exhibition of cars in the parking lot below. There are Mizirrati, Ferrari, Caenas - this is generally the people's car of the Laoban (lao ban - boss in Chinese) 500 and 600th Mercedes, several Jaguars, two Hamers and other Behi - fives. You can leave the courtyard, go across the street to the left and get into a two-story area with the same exhibition, but already tricycles. The tricycle is generally one of the symbols of China. They carry everything from garbage to refrigerators.
There are many extremes, but they are extremes nonetheless. We want to talk about China and the average Chinese.

Chinese at home and at work. The Chinese work from 8 to 12, then a two-hour lunch break. From 12 to 14 they have lunch and have time to sleep. In offices at this time, you can easily meet a Chinese sleeping right on the desktop near the computer. The Chinese are working hard. They do everything quickly - that's a fact. The quality is a separate issue. When working with a Chinese in a pair, it is important to constantly ensure that he understands you thoroughly. Not just understood, but understood thoroughly. Otherwise, he will do some of the work "on his own". The discretion of the Chinese, most likely, will be great different from yours. China has dinner after work. From 18:00 to 20:00 all cafes and restaurants are almost 100% occupied. Dinner is not accepted at home. Many apartments do not have kitchens. If you go to a cafe in the evening, the first thing that rushes is a powerful din. Everyone is talking to each other very loudly - almost shouting. Such style. After dinner, the Chinese go home or to friends. At home, he watches TV - and constantly changing channels. This is not surprising - the quality of programs shown on central television is very low. 80 percent of these are local productions - it’s great to learn the language from them, but you can’t delve into the meaning - otherwise the brain will soften, and many times repeated advertising where characters talk to cartoon-washing powders. When visiting friends, a Chinese argues, shouts loudly and gambles. Gambling is a completely separate issue. They play everywhere. In shops, on the streets, in parks - everywhere, everywhere ... We have not yet understood what they are playing - something in between chess, backgammon and dominoes. They always play for money, while shouting loudly, throwing dice on the board.

Chinese on the road It is impossible for a visitor to understand the logic of traffic in China. The driving culture is simply different than in any other country. A very large number of participants in the movement. A lot of cars. There are three to four times more motorcyclists and cyclists. While the red light is on, a certain number of cars accumulate at the intersection, surrounded on all sides by motorcyclists. Lights up green - everything is moving smoothly. Distances between cars and mopeds are usually 20-30 cm, regardless of speed. Turn signs are ignored. Double solid almost everywhere, but no one knows why it is needed. The priorities of the roads are very conditional - often to the main, busy road, along which the traffic moves from average speed 70, a dusty three-wheeled truck with chickens in the back can fall out without worrying that someone might crash into it. The Chinese do not drive very fast, smoothly and constantly rebuilding. It is normal to change lanes all the time. Just driving enjoying the road is not accepted.
Surprisingly, the Chinese never swear at the wheel, they react to all the cutting and constant sharp moments by calmly and confidently pressing the brake, while not showing a drop of aggression or even discontent. There are no accidents at all. We haven't seen one. Just like there are no “Zhoriks” on the “Tens” with mufflers into which you can stick your head and there are no old right-handed “Subareys” with “Sparko” inscriptions across the entire body.
The motorcycle is folk remedy movement. Basically it's "Suzuki" and "Honda" - 125 cc four-stroke small engines on a simple frame. In appearance, they resemble the Soviet "IZH", only more carefully. Motorcycles with an engine capacity of more than 250cc are banned in China.
Roads. In cities, traffic is organized very logically. The maximum number of interchanges, the minimum number of traffic lights. “Second level roads” are being built everywhere - this is when the first floor of the road goes in one direction, the second in the other. All roads are perfectly smooth. Auto communication between cities is carried out in two ways: 1 - you can choose a toll road - paying about 50 yuan (200 rubles) for a hundred kilometers you will get a great pavement, on which you can drive both 200 and 250 (but everywhere the limit is 110), perfectly trimmed flower beds on both sides and the absence of any surprises. 2 - after paying a symbolic fee of 6 yuan (24 rubles) for a hundred kilometers you go to the "budget" road - and then ... God help you! From personal experience: when you drive along such a road, you feel like a fighter pilot deep behind enemy lines.

If you go to the grocery department in a supermarket, it can confuse an unprepared person. Approximately 70% of products are not identified by a foreigner. How it is, what it is, this is the first, whether the second, or the third - it is not clear. But in any case, whatever you buy - most likely it will be delicious - the main thing is not to know what it is made of. But, all in order. Meat – Meat is sold everywhere. Lots of pork, lots of beef, lots of chicken. In China, there is a special type of chicken - black chickens. The taste of the meat is exactly the same as that of the usual one, just the color is black. Such - chicken-ebony. Along with pork and beef, dog meat can lie on the shelf in the store - in order not to cook it for your lunch, it is important to learn the hieroglyph "dog" well. In China, it is believed that the insides of animals - the heart, liver, stomachs - are much healthier than meat - therefore they are more expensive. Fish - we live on the very shore of the ocean - there are a lot of fish in these places and a great abundance of varieties. If you go to the fish department of any supermarket, you can count at least thirty varieties of fish. All of it is fresh - either live or chilled. Any shop will clean and cut it for free, as you ask. Turtles, snakes, frogs, worms, rapans, snails, clams, octopuses and lobsters are sold live. They swim in large aquariums with filtered water until you buy them. We cannot say anything authoritatively about the taste or the preparation of these undoubtedly magnificent exotic dishes. Natalie is not a fan of gastronomic experiments. And I put up with this, subconsciously realizing that this is fortunately.
In the department with eggs - you will find at least 15 types of eggs. It's hard to tell whose they are, but they are all different colors and sizes. Eggs are also sold already boiled, boiled in soy sauce and rotten, and then boiled. Vegetables. There are a huge number of vegetables - while many of them are unknown to us. The potatoes are very large (slightly smaller than a volleyball) and gnarled. Carrots are sold only peeled. Surprisingly, there are no beets. Absolutely not. Nowhere. In the fruit section, you will be pleasantly surprised by the variety of choices. Bananas, kiwis, oranges, tangerines, pears, apples, strawberries, pomelo, lychees, and many more fruits whose names we only know in Chinese. All of them are different in taste, but equally ripe and sweet. Among others, you can find the famous "durian". This is a large fruit - the size of large watermelon, yellow color and with many spikes on the body. It should be eaten with plastic gloves, otherwise the fingers will smell like shit for a week. No wonder it is called durian. In the white pulp that is inside, there are large yellow slices larger than orange ones and they are eaten. The taste is unlike anything, very unusual, moderately sweet and pleasant, but it is better to eat such a fruit after a cold, while the runny nose has not yet passed. This is how a child's shit smells - it doesn't seem to be disgusting, but it still smells ... We tried durian visiting our Chinese friends. Natalie would never let me buy it and bring it into the house.
Dried food: sold in bags, it can be shrimp, and mushrooms, and carrots, and seaweed, and anything else. Almost everything is sold dried. What it is and how to cook and eat it correctly, we do not know, therefore we do not buy.
There are almost no dairy products. Milk is mostly soy. We forgot what cottage cheese, cheese and cream are.
Now a few lines about restaurants and cafes. In China, you can eat once for 150 yuan - or you can eat for the same money for a week without denying yourself meat. But in any case, you can afford to never pay attention to the right column in the menu, and it's damn nice! All Chinese public catering can be divided into three types. The first and most colorful are small eateries for 8-10 people. They are in every home. I didn't make a reservation in every house. We call them chi-fanki (from the Chinese "chi fan" - to eat, dine). These are private establishments that are not certified, do not pass any controls, and it is not clear what is cooked there and it is not clear from what, but, we must pay tribute, it is delicious. When you eat in such a place, it feels like you went to some Chinese to have lunch in the kitchen. Plastic tables, plastic chairs, disposable tablecloths, flies and the constant TV with serials. I ate in such chifanki a couple of times secretly from Natalie. It's interesting, after all... The average check is 6 yuan. (25 rubles). The second type is restaurants and cafes of the middle level and above. There are countless of them in China. On any street, in any house there will be such a restaurant. They are purely Chinese, which is more common, and there are also various areas of cuisine, such as Filipino or Japanese, or Korean, and so on. It is a pleasure to dine in such restaurants - the food is delicious. It is cooked over high heat and with a lot of oil. It is especially interesting when the kitchen is open - and you can see how your order is being prepared. You can watch for hours - incredibly interesting - the Chinese are unsurpassed virtuosos in this regard. Within a radius of three hundred meters from our house there are a dozen of these restaurants, where we go alternately. There is usually calm music, pleasant interiors and owners of establishments with whom we know personally. All of them are a little proud of our presence as guests and are always glad to see us. And the third type is elite restaurants. They are often found in the lobbies of five-star hotels. Large spacious halls, tables set with knives and forks, well-trained waiters and an impeccably delicious menu. You need to go to such places - first of all, in order to feel “on the level”.
The food in all Chinese establishments has one thing in common - it is very fatty and oily. If a foreigner eats all the time outside the home, sooner or later his stomach will fail.
The Chinese have a cult of food. The Chinese always order more than they can eat. This is especially exaggerated if you are their guest. You have dinner for four, and the dishes are ordered, for example, ten. The Chinese eat well! They slurp. They burp. They spit bones on the table. (We are talking about the average Chinese, as a rule, this does not apply to directors and tops of factories and international companies). At the table, the Chinese are always noisy. They talk a lot and loudly while eating. They argue, joke, discuss politics and family matters. In institutions there is always a din, which is not easy to shout down. Ten minutes later, you catch yourself thinking that you yourself are already screaming.
The Chinese practically do not drink strong alcohol. In restaurants, you won’t find vodka, whiskey or cognac on the menu. Although there is almost always beer. Beer is drunk here from small 100-gram cups. Such a container is ideal for Chinese beer, because it does not foam at all. Chinese beer is not beer in his understanding - it is some kind of separate drink. Although the green bottle may say Hainiken. The most famous of the local beers is, of course, Qingdao. Served in liter bottles. You can see these on the tables of restaurant visitors, but not often, not everywhere. And of course, you will never see a Chinese drinking or walking with beer down the street.
At the same time, the Chinese smoke. They smoke everywhere. There are no smoking restrictions. You can smoke in transport, in an elevator, in a bank, and anywhere else ... Recently we went to a sports store for sneakers - and so, in front of the window next to us, a Chinese man was standing and smoking, choosing a pair for himself. (! In a sports store!) One one of the salesmen was kind enough to bring him an ashtray. Only men smoke.

Chinese faces: Who said that the Chinese are all the same? This is not true. You just don't understand it right away. You need to get used to it and after a while you start to see a little more. And you can already say: “this Chinese woman is beautiful” or “ah, this one is only after four Qingdaos.” But, to be objective, there are very few beautiful, cute Chinese. There are more of them in large cities and less in small cities. Partly because modeling agencies and the entire fashion elite are concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. But, let's talk about stereotypes... There is a certain standard of beauty in the world. No one will argue, these are: long legs, moderately large breasts, a long neck, big eyes, long eyelashes, even white teeth and it’s very cool if it’s still a blonde. Now let's look at the Chinese women. Features of the Asian genotype are: short stature, short legs, very short neck, narrow eyes and lack of eyelashes, dark skin color, yellow teeth and black hair. It turns out that the Asian appearance in itself contradicts the generally accepted standard. And this contradiction is very cool, as we see, it puts pressure on the Chinese. Otherwise, where do these widespread skin whitening services in beauty salons and such popular simple plastic surgery to increase the incision of the eyes come from.
In Chinese advertising, in most cases, European faces. Santa Claus in China is also European. The mannequins in the stores are Europeans. But this does not mean that there are no beautiful faces in China. There is.
Despite the fact that the Chinese are constantly eating, there are no fat people here. All girls are slim, all men are skinny. Although there are exceptions, such as, for example, our fitness trainer is a handsome man.

Chinese hospitality: Chinese hospitality is a brand. Everyone knows that Asians are hospitable, but you can feel it to the end only after living here for a while. We live in a small, by Chinese standards, albeit a few million people city. You rarely meet Europeans here, so we really stand out from the crowd. Of course we are kind of exotic for the locals. And it often happens that you get tired of such attention. But you can get used to it and not notice. Moreover, all this is more than covered by Chinese hospitality. We are welcome everywhere. And this is not fake, sincere joy. We have discounts and discount cards for almost all establishments within a radius of a kilometer from our house. And we have never seen a service in the service sector of such a level as in China.

Chinese taxi: Red-and-yellow ushatannye "Volkswagen-Jetta" - a car that was removed from production in Germany thirty years ago. The WV factory in China made so many of these cars that the Jetta has become one of the symbols of China. In a taxi, the driver is fenced off by a metal grill from passengers. Safety! All taxis are metered. If you got into the car, the driver must turn on the meter before moving off. This rule is. If the meter is not turned on, you are being scammed! You should only sit in the back seat. There are no seat belts in the front. The cost of the trip depends on the mileage - but it is always available. After 21-00 the cost increases by one and a half yuan - the night rate. An alternative to a regular taxi is a motorcycle taxi. This type of private cab can be found in small towns. In Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Xiamen and other cities, it was banned due to the high accident rate. For 10 yuan, a motorcycle taxi driver will offer you a sweaty helmet and take you quickly and dangerously anywhere in the city. It's great to ride a motorcycle taxi around the city at night - when you've had a little drink. Fun! Cycle rickshaws are a full-fledged, albeit dying, mode of transportation in China. Bicycle with sidecar, two passenger seats, negotiable price. We went a couple of times - original, but much is debatable.

Modern China is a big construction site. Houses in China are built in blocks. From the window of my office, you can count 17 tower cranes, each of which is building two 30-story buildings. There is no point building. If something is being built, then a whole district is being built. Modern residential buildings are complexes of 6-8 30-storey buildings, united by a single infrastructure. Downstairs there is almost always a swimming pool, often a tennis court, a small park, a playground, exercise equipment and underground parking. The internal territory is under video surveillance and round the clock security. The entire ground floor is reserved for shops and boutiques. In them you can buy everything you need right in your slippers. In the evening you meet Chinese in pajamas and with a newspaper in their hands, who went down to the store for soy sauce. Such modern houses is housing good level. They have large apartments of 150-200 meters. And neighbors corresponding to this level. But, even here, not without a Chinese flavor, for example, our neighbor in the stairwell - the director of a plant for the production of plastic products - every Saturday morning cuts off the head of a live chicken right on the site near the elevator. She has all the devices for this - a cage, a special clamp so that the chicken does not run, and a basin for blood. Shocked? We, too!
There are two apartments per floor. There are also two elevators - one internal, the second external - it rises in a glass box mounted on outside walls. The apartment where we live has five rooms - two toilets, a kitchen, a large hall and three balconies. Each balcony has a marble bathroom and a faucet for household needs. Washing machine is also on the balcony. Each room has air conditioning - this is not a luxury, but a necessity. In summer it can be up to +50.
Linen is always hanging on the balcony. It's not just dried, it's stored here. In China, you will not see a single balcony on which laundry would not hang on clothespins.
The Chinese have no secrets from each other - that's why the walls and ceilings in the houses are very thin. This is not only here - it is everywhere in China. Therefore, we know everything that our neighbors live with, and in the mornings, while still lying in bed, we blush a little, realizing that they, like the campaign, also know a lot about us ...

Chinese and green tea: Green tea means a lot to the Chinese. Tea and tea drinking is one of the important constituent parts life and life. Entering any apartment or institution, you can see a special tray, a teapot and a set of cups and tools for the tea ceremony. If you come to visit a Chinese, just chat, for 15 minutes, most likely, he will offer you to drink green tea with him. If you stopped by a factory or factory to discuss some operational issues, most likely you will be offered green tea, if you buy something in a store for a long time and cannot make a choice, you will be brought a tray with a tea party set. Tea houses are small shops where you can not only buy, but also taste real green tea, prepared the way it should be prepared. In such stores big table for 6-8 people and a pretty Chinese lady will invite you to sit down and taste any tea you want. All this will be very beautiful, easy and unobtrusive. Tea prices can range from 15 yuan per jin (Jin is a Chinese unit of measure equal to 500 grams) to 15,000 yuan per jin. (for clarity, for the cost of 1 kilogram of good tea, you can buy an average car). An uninitiated person will not understand such a difference in price. But, the Chinese are very good at this from birth. Otherwise, how to explain such a number of teahouses. There are three of them in our house alone. Teapots are more common than grocery stores. And the province we live in is considered the best tea province in China.

Beauty in Chinese: The Chinese have a very peculiar idea of ​​beauty and style. It shows up in everything. In architecture, in the design of apartments in clothes, etc. Let's start with the most curious - with women's fashion: what Chinese girls look like can be said in one word - asexual. No mini, no tight, no emphasizing ... Modest, gray, nothing. There is no "girl in a small Peugeot" here. There are no girls here who want to turn around, just because they just want to turn around ... And the point is not at all in external beauty, but in the ability to present oneself. This is neither good nor bad. So it's accepted here.
The school uniform in China is the same. It's a baggy green and white tracksuit. It is usually a size or two larger than necessary and deprives its owners of any sexual differences at all. This costume has nothing to do with the concepts of beauty or style. I think ten years of being in this form leaves an imprint on the rest of my life.
In Chinese houses - their own, Chinese comfort. The walls are always white. No wallpaper, just whitewashed walls. There are always red Chinese lanterns in any apartment, usually they hang on the balcony. And there is always a mahogany altar with a statue of Buddha and burning incense. It stands in the hallway of any house.
Most beautiful colour- Red. The rule "the more shiny - the better" - works without exception (this is especially read in the designs of the Chinese car industry).

Chinese letter: The Chinese language is a thing in itself. If you meet a person who says that he knows Chinese perfectly, you can laugh in his face. The Chinese language is obviously not meant to be known perfectly. There are over 50,000 characters in Chinese. Of course, no one exactly counted them, and it’s impossible to count them, it’s just accepted that there are about 50,000 of them. At the same time, 2000 are enough for the Chinese to fully communicate. There are four tones (tonality) in Chinese. The first one is neutral. The second - the main stress of the word has an upward direction. Third - the main stress of the word first goes sharply down, then sharply up. The fourth key (or reverse key) is the downward stress of the word. The same sound combinations in different keys have a different, and often opposite, meaning.
So, for example, mai - in the third key means to buy, and mai - in the fourth key - means to sell. At the same time, the hieroglyphs meaning these actions are different. There are an infinite number of such examples: Ma - in the first - means mother, Ma - in the third - a horse. Bei zi in the first - glasses, bei zi in the fourth - a blanket. Etc. This is where confusion often arises. That is why the Chinese ask again and repeat the words of the interlocutor in a conversation in order to make sure of their meaning. Chinese in the north of the country and Chinese in the south are, one might say, different languages. Despite the fact that the writing is the same, the pronunciation of the same hieroglyphs differs strikingly. Each of the provinces speaks its own dialect. This causes serious difficulties for translators. But at the same time, there is a generally accepted Chinese pronunciation of hieroglyphs - putonghua. This pronunciation, close to the Beijing dialect, is taken as a standard. The announcers on the central TV and radio speak Mandarin. Mandarin is also spoken by all educated people, regardless of which province they live in. But factory workers and old people will not understand you, and neither will you, even if you have an honors degree from Xiamen University.
Hieroglyphs are written in a strict sequence. One line after another from top to bottom, right to left. Any, even the most complex hieroglyph, must be strictly geometric and have a height equal to the width. Chinese is a living, ever-changing language. Hieroglyphs are simplified and modified over time. But in countries such as Hong Kong or Taiwan, the change of hieroglyphs is not accepted at the government level, and therefore the old “non-simplified” characters are still used there. Thus, the language in these countries is increasingly moving away from the common Chinese language.

Much more could be said. One can spend many days trying to comprehend this country. But we do not strive and do not even try. We simply dissolve in it and live in the present, not analyzing, but accepting everything as it is.
Come for a visit!
Gregory and Natalie

Feel free to ask any questions by e-mail.

The population of China is one fifth of the inhabitants of our planet. According to the 2010 census, its population was about 1.34 billion people. Given the annual population growth of 0.5%, the number of inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom, although slowly, but constantly growing. The whole world is witnessing rapid economic growth in China. Therefore, many inquisitive minds turn their eyes towards our eastern neighbor and ask themselves the question - how do people live in China?

Demographic situation

Chinese people live on average 73 years. The territory of China is unevenly populated, and most of it lives in the east of the country.

Since 1979, a birth planning policy has been carried out here, known for its slogan "One family - one child." 36% Chinese families raising one child. For violation of this rule, the family is subject to a fine and additional taxes. In this regard, cases of hiding children are not uncommon in China.

However, limiting the family to the birth of one child does not apply to all regions and strata of the population in China. This rule does not apply:

• to Hong Kong and Macau;
• on national minorities of the country;
• if both parents in the family are the only children of their parents;
• if a girl was born first in the family;
• parents who lost their children in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

This demographic policy whole line negative consequences:

• due to the low level of population growth in the country, it is aging every year;
• the number of men exceeds the number of women by 18%;
• children in families grow up spoiled.

Nationalities and languages ​​of China

The main part of the Chinese population calls themselves Han, and make up 91.5% of the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom. The rest are 55 national minorities specified in the Constitution: Zhuangs, Manchus, Hui, Miao, Uighurs, Tujia, Mongols, Tibetans and other peoples.

The national language has many dialects. It, like culture, is different in different regions country.

There are more than 35 million Chinese living abroad, they are called huaqiao. They have close ties to their homeland and live mainly in Southeast Asia.

Those who live in the southern regions of China are called Hakka. There are about 40 million of them. They differ from the main population of the country in traditions, dialect, customs and cohesion.

The Hui people are in many ways related to the main population of China. But they practice Hanafi Islam.

Writing

Chinese writing is based on hieroglyphs, which received their modern form as early as the 2nd century BC, during the reign of the Han Dynasty. The ancient Chinese language Wenyan was written until the beginning of the last century. Traditionally, writing was conducted in columns from top to bottom, which were located from right to left. The written language had an obscure grammar and differed significantly from the spoken language.

To simplify the recording of spoken language, during the Ming Dynasty in the 17th century, the Baihua language appeared, in which speech is recorded in lines from left to right. This means that it is convenient to include Arabic numerals and words from other languages. It was Baihua that supplanted the ancient Chinese language at the beginning of the 20th century, which contributed to the increase in the literacy of the Chinese population.

In 1964, legislatively, the most commonly used 2238 hieroglyphs were replaced by simplified forms. They are used in China, Malaysia and Singapore, but Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau continue to use traditional forms of hieroglyphs.

country religion

The Cultural Revolution left a mark on the religion of the Chinese population. Since 1949, atheism has been the official ideology in the country, and in this moment according to various estimates, 10-59% of the inhabitants are atheists.

Chinese wisdom is known all over the world. It also appeared in religion. The population of the country since ancient times followed three religions at the same time: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. The Chinese say that these are "three paths to one goal."

Education system

By a law passed in 1986, all children must receive a nine-year free education. They study from the age of 6 to 15, the first six years in elementary school and three years in secondary school. From 15 to 17 years old, you can continue your studies in high school, as well as enter a college or lyceum. Due to the huge population, getting a higher education is quite difficult. More than 20 million people study in 2236 universities in China. The competition for admission is very high.

The country needs highly qualified employees, so the government is reforming the education system.

Health care system

The country's healthcare system was reformed in 2005 and became multilevel. As a result, 80% of the population takes out health insurance for 50 yuan, paying only 10 of them. If a person is admitted to a local hospital, the state pays 80% of the bill, and if a person enters a large city clinic, 30%.

The health care reform was a great success and allowed:

• improve the quality of care through privatization medical institutions;
• get rid of cholera, scarlet fever and typhoid fever;
• increase life expectancy from 35 years in 1950 to 73 years in 2008.

Pension

The population of China does not receive old-age pensions from the state. However, the country has a number of other social compensations for people of retirement age, which are difficult to understand for those who do not live in the country.

In addition, China is Confucian and the care of children for their parents is a duty reflected in the laws. And if someone breaks these laws and does not support elderly parents, he has very big legal troubles.

Standard of living in China

Many media outlets claim that the standard of living for most of China's population is very low. They explain this by the fact that there is no middle class in Chinese society at all, and the bulk of the population lives below the poverty line.

However, the situation in the country has changed and things are far from being the same. According to the report "The Rise of the Middle Class in China" prepared by the Asian Development Bank, there is still a middle class in China. True, the very concept of the middle class differs from Russian and European.

Thus, according to this report, the middle class in China are considered to be residents of the country who spend about 20 dollars a day on themselves. And if in 1991 40% of Chinese people were poor, then in 2007 about 62% of the population was already enrolled in the category of the middle class.

As a result, by 2011, about 1 billion people in the country, 80% of the population, came to be considered the middle class. In 2007, there was a homogeneity in the distribution of the middle class between urban and villagers. However, due to the departure of young people to the city, by 2011 the situation had changed. There are now more middle classes in China's cities than in rural areas.

Chinese middle class

The definition of China's middle class by the creators of the report was built on the basis of sociological surveys among residents of urban and rural areas. They analyzed household investments, their consumption, sales, labor productivity, land use and agricultural prices. There is another way to determine the middle class - according to the purchases by a Chinese family of durable goods: a car, a computer, washing machine, piano, refrigerator, TV or mobile phone. If a family does not have at least one such item, it is considered poor.

The Chinese, who belong to the middle class, earn from 2.5 to 17 thousand dollars a year. Those who earn more are the upper class of Chinese society.

There is another trend in Chinese society. Those Chinese who are members of the Communist Party are more likely to move into the middle and even upper classes of society.

However, China has a very strong gradation. For example, a Beijing resident needs to earn at least $1,000 to be in the middle class. While it is enough for a Chinese living in rural areas to earn 10 times less.

The authors of the report conclude that the middle class includes those Chinese who do not deny themselves basic needs and satisfy them without much difficulty. In this regard, it is wrong to say that only cheap goods are produced in the country. They produce here for the domestic market and BMW, and Mercedes, and Hummers.

China is ready to surprise and does it all the time. Therefore, most likely, the statement that by 2020 the world will be ruled by the Chinese middle class will also turn out to be true.