INTRODUCTION - Living Abroad in Beijing - page 17

study, often from 7am to 11pm. Without a good result, they're unlikely to get into a good
university; if they don't get into a good university, their chances of securing a good job are
drastically reduced; without a good job they are set for a life of struggle that will affect their
ability to support themselves and their aging parents and grandparents. Even if they do get
into university, many youths have no choice about what major they do and end up spending
a lifetime in a profession that they have no interest in. It's a dismal view and one that places
extreme pressure on Beijing's young people.
According to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics, Beijing's registered urban un-
employment rate in 2011 was 1.39 percent, a figure that is relatively low compared to many
other cities (the national rate at the time was 4.1 percent, according to the National Bureau
of Statistics of China). The figure is possibly a little overly inspiring, however. Of this 1.39
percent, approximately 38 percent are under the age of 35, and many people, in order to
save face, actually refuse to register themselves as unemployed and so don't get factored in-
to this figure. Additionally, many who do have jobs, such as waiters or street cleaners, earn
as little as RMB800-1,500 per month, an amount that falls far below the average monthly
rental price in the city. Even well-educated people can find themselves stuck in jobs earning
less than RMB3,000 a month. Beijing life is far from the slums of India or the favelas of
Brazil, but you'll often hear it referred to as h ě n kùnnan (tough and full of hardship).
English is frequently seen as the panacea to this bleak situation. Private English schools
are massive money spinners in Beijing, feeding into the belief that English will snag them
a high-paying job. Students can spend RMB30,000-100,000 on courses that promise fluent
spoken English. Every year, thousands of students flock abroad to obtain a foreign educa-
tion in America, Australia, England, Canada, or New Zealand. Unfortunately, taking such
steps doesn't always guarantee a more lucrative future. Even a h ǎ igu ī (a student returning
from abroad) may not get a look at anything over RMB5,000 a month.
FAMILY
Aside from education, one other aspect of life in Beijing that remains relatively unaltered
is respect for the family. Those of the 1980s generation, and the kids of thereafter, are often
described as being increasingly selfish and egocentric, thanks to the one-child policy and
its decisive effect of focusing the attention and affection of both parents and two sets of
grandparents on a single child. (Bear in mind, not every young person fits this modern-day
emperor profile—there are a good many lovely, generous youths.) Yet despite this sharp
change of culture and the growing devotion to materialism, the family still strongly influ-
ences an individual's life. Several generations continue to live contentedly together under