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Q: How would you define the difference between; lower, middle & upper class in your city?
in terms of salary, I would say here in Suzhou (one of the most expensive mainland cities) a couple needs to earn a combined income over 20,000 元 monthly if they're going to do things like pay a mortgage, raise kids, get a car, etc.
We just make that much now and I think it puts us in middle class. How about you?
12 years 3 weeks ago in Money & Banking - China
I'm not ready to let this thread die yet so I'll reply to it myself.
The local Chinese teachers where I work earn less than half of foreigners salaries. It's more like a third. I don't see how they can make ends meet with it.
They have to live with parents or split rent with roommates and even then they spend most nights sitting at home on the computer not because its what they want to do but because they still can't afford to go out shopping or to have drinks and ktv with friends.
They had to graduate college just to get those jobs. With inflation rising faster than average salaries, what does the future hold for China's young people now?
It's their own fault for not having family connections with government officials, and not having the most fashionable haircut and accessories. You are a slave to your barbaric, genetically-inferior Meirihan ideals of hard work and superior education/experience leading to profit.
You're living in a 5000 year history innovatively civilized communist harmonious society now, so you're just going to have to accept - if your primitive brain can - that success is a mix of birthright and haircuts.
A far better question would be why would you want to be able to tell the class difference. What difference does it make to have a label stuck to you that is meaningless in how you contribute to society.
A far better skill would be how you can tell good people from the rest. I have many friends in both China and Australia and they range from legal professionals, engineers, professional sports people, managers of companies to laborers and council cleaners. I am happy to say that` we all mix socially very well. But I also need to say that many people in China don't understand how this can happen.
My definition:
Lower class: gets around via public transportation and/or scooter/e-bike/moped/whatever
Middle class: gets around in a lower end automobile: BYD/Hyundai/Kia etc
Upper class: rolls around in their German masterpiece: BMW/Benz/Audi
Don't you just love generalizations? 
I think there are 8 classes of people here:
Lower lower class: Collect garbage, clean streets
Middle lower class: Factory workers, bathroom attendants, street vendors, construction workers, store clerks
Upper lower class: Office workers, massage girls
Lower middle class: mid-level management in business, doctors, lawyers, KTV girls
Upper Middle class: Top level managers
Upper class: Medium sized business owners, gangsters
Super upper class: Giant sized business owners
Government class: Do I need to say it?
I think if middle class is defined as owning a home, car, and being able to save money on top of affording the basics in life but getting ahead, but not being able to really live richly, well I think it depends WHERE you live Firstly. In a big city the costs are high, 2 million for a small apartment, mortgage payment of 13,000 a month for this place. So if you aren't making 20,000 a month, forget it, you aren't middle class here, but then again, if you forgo the apartment for rent of the same for about 3,500 a month, well then you are definitely middle class to rich.
WHY do people buy houses in China? Very interesting, I'll save instead thank you, especially since they are being forced down in value by the government, uh oh..............
I don't use the phrase 'lower' class as to me, it sounds pretty insulting, I prefer the British term 'working' class.
My definition is as follows:
Working class - work with your hands
Middle class - work with your brain
Upper class - no need to work
ok, let me take a stab at this.... hmmm
Lower-
Travel 'home' once a year. No where else.(those masses u see in Spring Festival photos of train stations)
Middle-
Been to the typical Chinese places... Beijing, Sanya, Hong Kong, and a few other places in China with a few having been down to KokBang, Singapore or somewhere like that.
Upper-
Travel/ed internationally rather extensively.
lower class means ugly GF's and bad bank accounts....middle class means OK GF's with and OK bank account.....high class means hot GF's with a fat bank account
