China is the largest republic in the world. More than 1.409 billion people, the population of the republic is increasing every day by12-13 thousand... At the same time, life in China cannot be called easy, at least for most people.
Living standards in China
In the past, the standard of living in the Republic of China was very low, total poverty prevailed, the average life expectancy of a Chinese was only 44 years old... Now the inhabitants of China, on average, live up to 76 years, the economy of the state has made great strides, the standard of living of ordinary Chinese has risen, only 1,6 % population of the country.
The economic reforms that China underwent with the coming of power of the Communist Party, the infusion of investments from other countries, dramatically increased the income of the local population. This has especially had a positive effect on the inhabitants of rural areas.
The rise in the well-being of the Chinese population can be traced by the increased number of household appliances, cars, apartments in cities, houses in rural areas bought by the Chinese.
The life of people in modern China depends on the locality and region. The most expensive cities to live in China are Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou. The rent in these cities is350-500 dollars* (2.6-3.5 thousand yuan) for a room in a communal apartment. In addition to the cost of renting a room, you will still need to pay for utilities (gas, electricity), the Internet. In total, this will add up to400-600 dollars*.
Therefore, the poor, people who have come to work in China, foreign specialists, often rent one room for several people. The costs of its maintenance are evenly distributed among all residents. You can find cheap accommodation in the suburbs of these cities at the terminal station of the metro. True, the time spent on the trip to the place of work will be several hours.
Living in small towns in China is very different from living in large cities. For example, a furnished apartment with all amenities in59 m² in the thriving city of Chengdu, which is not far from Shanghai, can be rented for400 dollars per month.*
* Prices are valid for December 2019.
Important! The cost of renting an apartment in China depends on the state of the home ownership, the type of housing, the area in which it is located.
Features of life in China
China is full of contradictions. A country that covers an area 9 597 thousand km², has several time zones. The difference between sunrise and sunset in different provinces of China can be 5 hours, and the country lives at one time throughout the entire territory, Beijing.
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The country does not allow the operation of vehicles older than 14 years, they are disposed of. This is done to reduce the pollution of the atmosphere of cities with toxic gases that throw out old cars, and to stimulate the purchase of new cars.
To reduce smog in cities, it is allowed to operate cars with numbers ending in one number on even numbers, and on odd numbers on others. Air purifiers are installed on the construction site to capture dust.
The life of ordinary Chinese people in China begins with sports. Every park in the city is equipped with sports grounds with exercise equipment, where anyone can come to work out. There people of all ages run, jump, work out elements of martial arts.
Booths for entertainment are provided in large trading halls. While the wife is out shopping, the husband can sing karaoke, play a computer game, and enjoy food and drinks.
Vending machines for collecting plastic bottles are on the streets. Instead of plastic, vending machines provide dry food for four-legged homeless people. There are bicycle rental offices throughout the city, where for a small fee you can rent a two-wheeled vehicle for temporary use, then leave it anywhere in the city.
Note! The downside of bike rental, a natural disaster in cities, was their blockage near metro stations.
Chinese people spend a lot of time on public transport on their way to work and back home. For this reason, you can see people eating breakfast or having dinner on the subway. A large assortment of food is prepared and sold right on the streets, the food looks quite appetizing. Here you can find scorpions on the shelf, fish eyes, insect larvae, fried tarantulas and many other exotic things unusual for Europeans.
Chinese girls prefer to wash their hair in hairdressing salons. This service is very cheap, in addition, washing includes a massage of the face and décolleté.
The age of a newborn baby begins to be counted not from the moment of birth, but from the onset of the new Chinese year.
How ordinary Chinese live in China: life, income
It is difficult for a foreigner to understand information about the life of people in modern China. The image of the Chinese is associated with work alone. In fact, the Chinese, like all people, have all the joys of life. They love to dress beautifully, have fun, drive cars.
An ordinary day of a simple Chinese person begins with an early rise (5-6 am), exercise, breakfast. Then, some family members go to school, others go to college, and still others go to work.
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The people of China are very hardworking, with work often taking 10-12 hours with lunch and dinner breaks. The Chinese do not return home until 20.00.
For reference! The average salary in China, translated into rubles, ranges from 12 to 82 thousand and, again, depends on many factors.
How Chinese people live in small and large cities
2/3 of the total population of the country live in big cities. Due to the high cost of living space and low salaries, townspeople live in very small apartments, often renting one room in a three-room apartment. Capsule apartments with an area of only 5-6 square meters are in great demand.
In it, people sleep, take a shower, go to the toilet, believing that it is better to have such a place than to be homeless. Renting such a capsule can cost 50 dollars, which is a third of the salary for many people. Living in a city is 2 times more expensive than in a village.
In the villages, people live off subsistence farming: they keep cattle, cultivate a vegetable garden. Of the benefits of civilization, only electricity is present. Instead of glass, a film is stretched in the window openings, they sleep on a mat, a fire is made right on the floor.
Parks, beaches and other entertainment
China is rich in water parks, beaches with bright yellow and white sand, transparent warm water. On the sea you can go diving, admire the numerous corals.
There are many squares and parks in the country with picturesque ponds and emerald grass, access to which is allowed for everyone. Zoos with representatives of wild animals are located in Beijing, Guangzhou. A museum of sea shells was opened in Sanya, in Guangzhou - a world-famous opera house.
Local kitchen
Food is elevated to a cult by the people of China. They even used to greet them like “chi le ma?”, Which means “did you eat”. They eat all around: in transport, at work, in the queue for food, they drink a lot of hot water, believing that it is the best medicine for all diseases. The Chinese are proud of their local cuisine and can talk about it for hours with delight.
Additional Information! Culinary preferences largely depend on the climate and the specific region.
In the northern regions, more preference is given to noodles, dough-shaped dumplings. The southern regions prefer dishes with sweet and sour and sweet flavors.The staple food of the Chinese has always been and remains rice. It is used not only for preparing various dishes, but also for preparing alcohol, sauces, and vinegars.
Local cuisine of different regions differs significantly from each other:
- Cantonese cuisine - famous for its small-sized snacks, these are pies, rolls, dumplings, all types of meat products, including snakes and snails;
- Sichuan cuisine - stands out among others for its spiciness, dishes abound in hot peppers and garlic;
- Su (Jiangsu) cuisine - chicken, pork, duck, pea leaves;
- Anhui cuisine - mainly bamboo, mushrooms, many vegetables and herbs;
- Shandong cuisine - seafood, duck, corn, lamb;
- Zhejiang cuisine - freshwater fish, shrimp, lotus leaves with pork;
- Hunan cuisine - dried, fried and smoked products.
The local cuisine is famous for various liquid, pureed soups made from chicken, pork, and fish. Dessert consists of fresh fruit, sweet soups, puddings, pastries, ice cream, sweet syrup with ice shavings.
Transport
Transport in China is essential. The issue of transport and roads has become especially relevant with the growth of the republic's economy.
The Chinese government is making every effort to lay new highways, transport interchanges, the reconstruction of ports, of which there are more than 2 thousand in the country, waterways, airports are under construction.
The most popular form of transport among the population is the subway, and the Chinese often use the railway. The railway network covers all regions of the state; you can get to any city by train.
Shanghai city center is connected to the airport by a magnetic levitation train that speeds up 450 kilometers per hour... Travel on it is equal to the cost of a bus ticket.
Internet
The Internet in China is very different from what Europeans are used to. For example, applications such as Viber, WhatsApp, Skype software do not work.
Communication is cheap, about 10 dollars a month, but very slow.
Not all villages have the Internet in principle. In cities, this is much easier.
For reference! The development of cellular communications has significantly simplified the use of the Internet. Today, there are practically no problems with access in cities.
The Chinese Internet is separated from the global Internet by a government firewall that blocks access to many sites. At the same time, the Chinese have their own search engines, social networks, an analogue of twitter, etc. In general, they do not experience problems with communication.
The shops
Stores in China are inundated with fakes of well-known world brands, both of good quality (when it is impossible to distinguish from the original) and a very cheap copy.
Huge trading floors sometimes occupy entire city blocks. There are department stores where you can buy everything you need, down to the smallest detail. There are shops specializing in only one product. Opening hours of all shops from 9 to 20, without breaks and days off.
Traditions
Family is highly valued in China. The head of the family is always a man, with respect and respect for the elderly.
The birth of a boy in the family is an important event.
The population has a cult of food, all dishes, except for soup, are eaten with chopsticks.
In China, it is customary to give gifts at a party, but their number should not correspond to the number 4. The Chinese associate the number 4 with death.
Life in China for Russians
Russians leave for China for various reasons. Someone goes for exotic, someone for a better life. The average salary for specialists in the Celestial Empire is higher than in Russia (1400 $ China / 1000 $ Russia in big cities and800 $ China / 500 $ Russia in smaller cities). The living wage in China is 11-12 dollars cheaper than in the home country.
The Russian diaspora is rather small, about 15,000 people, together with university students. The Russian population is concentrated mainly in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Harbin. At present, various communities of Russians have begun to be organized for communication, for learning the Chinese language. In areas with a Russian diaspora, restaurants with Russian cuisine, dance schools, Russian theaters are opening; schools for Russian-speaking children have been opened at embassies and consulates.
Attention! Housing is a problem for Russians in China. Its cost is expensive, permission to purchase can be obtained upon presentation of a work visa and only after a year of residence in the republic.
In addition, the land under the building belongs to the city; during the reconstruction of the city, the house can be demolished. Therefore, it is better to rent an apartment.
And one more thing - no matter how many years a foreigner lives in the country, no matter how well he speaks the language, learns calligraphy and local dialects, succeeds in martial arts, for the Chinese he will always remain a laow (foreigner), a creature of the neuter genus, who is treated with condescension.
It is a great luxury to be ill for a foreigner in China. He will not be accepted in any local clinic, they will shy away from him like a plague, he will be sent to an international hospital, where for a visit you have to pay a salary for several months.
In general, life in China has its own characteristics, and many things are simply incomprehensible to Europeans. An eastern country can amaze with both the luxury of megacities and the total poverty in the countryside. More people live here than in all of Europe, and these people evaluate their lives according to other criteria.
