Emotionally and intuitively talk about the details of life in mainland China

China is very big, and even journalists who travel every day cannot cover everything. I would like to talk about the living conditions of ordinary people in mainland China from my personal perspective. There is no data, the writing is not good, it is purely intuitive and trivial details.

If the political part is not the key point, we will not discuss it. Simply put, most Chinese people can indeed accept the leadership of the Communist Party, provided that the people's livelihood economy can be improved. However, because the people's livelihood economy is indeed very poor, most people have a relatively negative attitude towards life, but whether it is attributed to the Communist Party is up to the benevolent to see benevolence and the wise to see wisdom.

Education : The pressure to go to higher education seems to be great not only in China but also in East Asia. In contrast, the life of students in Beijing and Shanghai is much better than that in the backward areas. From primary school to high school, the school has winter and summer vacations for 12 years, and there are weekends. Self-study in the morning and evening is not mandatory (except for students living on campus). There are many voluntary tutoring outside the school, and parents are very anxious.

And the general situation in backward areas, at least according to what my friends/relatives know, is a lot more depressing. First of all, there are a lot of students in a class. The maximum number of students in Beijing and Shanghai is about 40-50. In backward areas, there are often 70 students in a class until today, and teachers can’t take care of them. As far as work and rest is concerned, the two years after high school are usually almost all year round, and only a few days off during winter and summer vacations. What's worse is that in the two years after high school, generally speaking, there is no more than one day off a week. Every day, I have to leave early and return late. I am forced to study in the morning and evening. I can't remember the specific time. Anyway, returning home at 10 pm is a routine operation.

It is said that less than 5% of people in China have gone to university, and the number of people around me is about 50%, so you can probably safely assume that the life of ordinary people in mainland China is much worse than that I have come into contact with.

A small group of people who got rich first in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai attach great importance to their children's English education. So don't be surprised that 100 people and 90 people seem to have never learned English, but don't be surprised that 1 or 2 of them speak very well. Some people at the bottom of society in backward areas feel that they can't use English in their life and work anyway, and they don't need to invest too much except for exams.

Medical care : If the middle class in Beijing and Shanghai are not seriously ill, there is no problem with money, the medical level is good, and the service attitude is not good. I know too much about poor people who are seriously ill and their families destroyed. I really can't bear to talk about it. As for the medical level in the backward areas, the medical level is very poor, and the diagnosis is often misdiagnosed. The patients in the backward areas with a decent economy usually go to Beijing and Shanghai to see a doctor. Rural areas may be waiting to die, right?

Housing : Housing prices in big cities are very expensive, and small cities are also more expensive, and housing assets in areas with poor economy (Northeast China) and rural areas have already collapsed. The quality of the house is average, it depends on the specific real estate. If in recent years, foreigners who have an education and go to major cities to engage in professional work, it is difficult for most of them to afford a house.

Transportation : The traffic in Beijing and Shanghai is very congested, and the subway line is very long. Beijing's roads are more congested than Shanghai's. As for the price of subway and bus, it is quite cheap for me, and it may be a burden for very poor people. Shanghai's road design is very odd, there are often inexplicable sudden high-speed entrances/exits, and cameras are everywhere used to film violations and fines.

Diet : In addition to vegetables, raw materials are not too cheap compared to the United States. Due to the low labor cost, eating out is not too expensive. I can't comment on food safety issues. My personal intuitive experience is that you get what you get for every penny. You are willing to spend enough money to eat well in many restaurants. Because meat is expensive, the diet has a high proportion of vegetables and grains and very little meat. In a backward area, a family eats half a catty of pork at night and everyone is very satisfied. The advantage is that eating more vegetables is healthier and not lacking in vitamins.

As far as the types of dishes are concerned, there are many exotic restaurants in Beijing and Shanghai. The more developed medium-sized cities (Guangzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou) are also ok, but in the backward areas, there are basically only a few common local Chinese dishes. Most Chinese don't seem to have eaten real steak, only fake steak made from patchwork. It is said that this fake steak was passed down from Taiwan, and I don't know if it is true or not. But what I am sure of is that there is a steak chain restaurant from Taiwan in the mainland called Formosa King Steak. His steak is basically a piece of braised beef, and I really can't admit that that kind of food is steak.

Living habits : According to Hong Kong people on the Internet, mainlanders like to defecate anywhere. I can honestly say that I have seen a little bit of urination, but I have never seen anyone who defecates anywhere. It is hard to imagine who went to Hong Kong, or that Hong Kong people grabbed a typical example and quickly wrote it down as evidence?

The most terrifying habit of daily life in mainland China is actually smoking in public places, smoking while walking. Smoking is not allowed indoors in big cities. In backward areas, no matter indoors or outdoors, people smoke in public places. It is very painful to smell smoke every day when I go out.

Daily necessities : In a slightly backward place, the mattresses in ordinary people's homes are very poor. It seems that everyone does not care very much. They may think that saving a fortune is a fortune. Poor quality hotel mattresses are also poor. I remember that when I was a child, there were people who didn't sleep on a mattress at all and slept on a wooden board + a layer of mattress.

What is more interesting is that even in the more backward areas, electronic products are completely popular, and they are not all cheap domestic brands. Apple products can be seen everywhere even in the most backward provinces. Probably this thing is just needed, and it is not particularly expensive, but it is still willing to spend money.

Comparison with other countries: I have been to very few third world countries, but in the United States I have been fortunate enough to have contact with people from many third world countries. My experience is that in addition to political issues, the difficulties China encounters are also very common in other third world countries. In fact, human nature is the same. The common folk customs in the third world are not very simple, and the level of trust between strangers is also lower. Chinese are no worse than Mexicans, Turks, or some other third world country.

The so-called poor mountains and bad waters make troublesome people, this is the truth.

Meeting the basics is the biggest problem for the poor in third world countries. Many people from poorer but politically democratic and free countries envy China. After all, China is not the worst country in the world. The famous line of CCTV to promote economic development is that people can eat dumplings at home during the Chinese New Year!

There is no natural comparison with developed countries. Even South Korea, which is relatively backward, can feel that its development is much better than that of China.

I hope that in 2020, the Sino-US trade war will come to an end. Whenever I think of the basic living problems of many compatriots in China, it is very difficult to buy a piece of meat or buy some fruit, which is quite uncomfortable.