tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post390484943631657629..comments2023-08-19T12:02:43.740-04:00Comments on An Immigrant's Evolving Perspective: The Ambivalent Role of China's Middle Class -- A Book ReviewXujunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05534267282303815433noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-55395161560767211002011-05-17T09:33:08.005-04:002011-05-17T09:33:08.005-04:00Thanks for the response, Helen. That's helpful...Thanks for the response, Helen. That's helpful.Xujunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05534267282303815433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-15511065344770047862011-05-17T00:57:57.943-04:002011-05-17T00:57:57.943-04:00Xujun,
Various predictions indicate China's m...Xujun,<br /><br />Various predictions indicate China's middle class will reach 800 million in fifteen years or so. That's significant enough number. The reason I chose to look at China from the vintage point of the middle class is because it is the one thing that connects with Americans, and the one thing that will have enormous impact on global economy, environment and politics. <br /><br />Check out another review about The Chinese Dream: http://internetreviewofbooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/chinese-dream.html?spref=fb.Helen Wanghttp://TheHelenWang.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-61803302888200072262011-05-16T11:43:53.773-04:002011-05-16T11:43:53.773-04:00Great comments - thanks! I agree with you that the...Great comments - thanks! I agree with you that the majority of Chinese are still poor, the middle class can easily forget about them, and we should certainly pay more attention to the poorer majority when discussing policies. On the other hand, the middle class elites are supposed to be more influential to the policy maker, so it is also important to study them, don't you think?<br /><br />I believe that Helen Wang, and many others, are focused on the middle class because they believe that, in time, the middle class will be the majority like in America. When, or even if, that will come true is a very interesting question that I have not seen addressed.Xujunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05534267282303815433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13974296645733775.post-45491169051089935412011-05-16T04:51:35.182-04:002011-05-16T04:51:35.182-04:00If by middle class the author is referring to thos...If by middle class the author is referring to those Chinese who earn between US$10,000 and US$60,000 per year, then she is speaking only of people who belong to the top 12 or 15 percent of China's population. A recent report suggests that approximately 150 million Chinese earn US$10,000 or more per year, with very few earning as much as the average American (i.e., ~$40,000). In other words, 85 percent of Chinese earn less than US$10,000 per year, with approximately 36 percent living on US$2 or less per day (according to 2009 IMF figures) - that is, twice as many Chinese exist on US$2 or less per day than earn US$10,000 or more per year. Extend the figure to incluce those Chinese who live on US$5 per day (RMB 35) and you almost certainly approach one billion people. People typically trumpet the fact that 400 million Chinese have been "lifted out of poverty" during the last 30 years. Even if you assume this figure to be close to the truth, that leaves out 900 million people. What's more, the majority of the 400 million who've been "lifted out of poverty" would still seem quite poor in the view of the average American.<br /><br />Interestingly, the average annual salary in Beijing and Shanghai (China's top 2 cities, in terms of annual salary) hovers just around US$10,000 per year. That is, your average Beijinger and Shanghainese belongs in the top 15 percent of all Chinese in terms of annual salary.<br /><br />I'm less interested in understanding how the top 15 percent of Chinese live than I am in how the bottom 85 percent live. I've lived in Beijing for the better part of 10 years, and I'm surrounded by well-educated people who own homes and cars, graduated from China's best universities, and vacation/shop in Hawaii and Tokyo. Under these circumstances, it's easy to forget how unlike most of their countrymen these people are.<br /><br />Less talk of China's "middle class" and more talk about the "Latin Americanization" of Chinese society.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com