Aug 28 2008
A salaryman’s real life in Beijing
A Middle Class White Collar’s Real Life
Mr. Li Ping is from another province of China. He was admitted by a quite good university in Beijing and came to the capital city for the first time. After he graduated from university and received a degree in Computer Science in year 2000, he found his first job at a middle sized domestic company as a entry level engineer. His monthly salary was RMB 2,000 (about USD230), not too bad for a new graduate in China. He shared a small two bedroom apartment in suburban Beijing with a colleague, ate at company canteen or cooked at home, took the bus and subway, bought no-brand clothing from open air market. The apartment price was RMB4,000 ( USD600) per square meter. Li Ping could not afford it unless his parents could provide a major financial support.
In 2008, after eight years of hard working and struggling, 30 years old Li Ping is a Senior IT Manager at a leading IT company of China. He is monthly income has been increased to RMB12,000 (about USD1700). He bought a small (80 square meters) apartment in suburban Beijing in 2006 and got married with Ma Li who is a local Beijinger. Ma Li works in a state owned press as a reporter, her monthly salary is RMB4,000 (USD600).
The real estate market of Beijing was extremely hot during the past 8 years, the average price per square meter is sky-high now, about RMB12,000 (USD1,700) . Li Ping borrowed RMB 400,000 ( USD60,000) from his parents for the down payment and his parents never expect Li Ping to pay back. He also got a 20 year mortgage from the Construction Bank of China. Every month this typical middle class young couple need to pay the bank RMB6,000. He takes the subway and taxi for daily commute, eats at restaurants around home or company, and buys clothing at department store, especially during the seasonal sale promotion. During weekends and holidays, Li Ping usually go shopping with his wife or go to Karaoke or bar to socialize with friends and colleagues. Li Ping and Ma Li have been to some Southeast Asia counties, such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Every year they take at least one annual leave to travel to some domestic destinations.
Li Ping’s income and life style make his friends in his hometown - a small city - jealous, because the average salary is only RMB2,000( USD300) in most cities. And his parents are quite proud about their capable son who can make a living in the capital city. But what they do not know is Li Ping works more than 12 hours a day, and work during weekend is almost a routine. He dreams to go to America for a Master Degree or start his own business to achieve financial freedom. But he dares not to risk the stability of his family life and financial pressures. He has to obey the rude and nonsense orders from his boss sometimes, because he definitely needs this income to pay mortgage.
Just like most of Chinese, Li Ping believes in Saving for a Rainy Day. Especially in contemporary China, social welfare system is still far from perfect. But due to the heave burden of mortgage, he really does not have much cash in his saving account. It will be a big problem when his child grows up and needs to borrow money from him for the down payment of a house.
This young couple is planning to buy a Buick which costs about RMB120,000 (USD17,000) . But they just found out that Ma Li was “accidentally” pregnant. Therefore, they are kind of indecisive about the purchasing a car idea.
Actually, Li Ping in this article is NOT a real person, he is a symbolic middle class salaryman in Beijing. His life style and stories represent a typical living status of millions young people in this city.
