Yes, it sounds weird and I agree with you if this was in some fully developed country. These people are farmers as you said and they have a farmer's mentality. First, why park and pay 200 when you can get it free just down the road? The 200 can pay for the petrol or a nice dinner with friends which will gain more face? Second, why pay 200 for a mere 12 sq m space when they get an acre of it on the farm? These people have no idea of living it up. They can drive big cars and live in big houses but old habits die hard. Their farmer's mind will never change. That why we find it hard to understand.

I agree, it's the mentality of farmers / poor people.  Most middle class people in China are just poor people who have money.  They have no need for a Benz or BMW than to get face.  Expensive house and cars? These are just the ingredients society has told them they need to acquire to be happy.  They have no idea how to live the life.

BTW, I really envy your cheap parking spaces.  In my housing complex, we must buy the space at 100K.  Then we have to pay a monthly fee.  One of the reasons I don't care for buying a car.

Perhaps because people can't see their car if it is parked underground.

Mike, I don't understand your dismissive attitude towards your neighbours. It's a bit snobby to describe them as new money farmers.

Maybe they live in an expensive apartment because they want mod cons. Maybe they drive expensive cars because they enjoy driving expensive cars. Maybe they have money because they worked hard.

Who are you, The Duke of Windsor?

We have several neighbors who have "Fancy car + crappy car" combos. Guess when they drive with the windows down ? 

The parking outside of the underground car park is also going on here, or it was until the city government found their new goldmine. Enforcing parking tickets on the road around the community. People still park outside, some in the relatively few free parking spots outside, and some have learned that the parking people are never around in early morning or from about dinner time, so you can park like you want during the night. 

These farmers are a sad bunch. The new hukou rules will produce even more of them. I would be surprised if that doesn't give some millions of people with severe depression in a couple of years. 

Aren't you forgetting how much face they will be getting by saving the Y200?  I think outward displays of grandiosity are often counterbalanced with the belief they "got over" on someone.  In this case, the property company.

I suppose it's something to do with different values.

Westerners value their time and convenience more than Chinese I think.

I would personally be happy to pay 200 a month not to have to deal with trying to find a park on the street every day. I would have another 30 minutes beer time which I wouldn't have if I was to try to park on the busy street, and it would be stress free. Chinese people don't think in those terms in my experience, hassle and time wasted are worth it if it saves money. It's not wrong, just different ideas of what is valuable.

Also, if you're driving a super expensive 'asshole' car it's probably to show off. It's hard to show off a parking space that few people see so in their minds it's probably not worth it.

Yea like Scots said, no one can see their car under ground! And, damn, 200 RMB per month? It's highway robbery! Outrageous fees! 

As you know, it's a bargain my friend. Count yourself lucky. If you lived with rational people the car park would still be overcrowded, even at 200 per. 

If this was New York, people would buy an apartment so they could pay 200 per to park their car. I am not joking.

Keep your car out of the sun and rain for 200 per. Hell yea! When it's time for them to repaint their cars they can choose a nice vanity orange, pink or neon green.

See, this really works out well for everyone. 

A friend of mine lives in a place where a parking space costs 50000 RMB and he would pay it, but there are none for sale. 

So count your blessings. Funny story, either way. 

My theory on that type of shit is that those farmland buyout kings are probably asset rich but cash/income poor. Think about it you know? These guys got their buyouts whole family probably pooled their money to buy a decent place to all pile into. a couple of nice cars then one income generating property. Their money all came from one big payday and now while they own some nice things they're still basically poor people who can't make much money. They're like lottery winners.

I've gotten lucky with landlords but you ever rented an apartment from some real piece of shit who nickle and dimed and harrassed their way out of a reliable tennant who wasn't trashing the place? Hear that from expats all the time. It's probably because your rent payments are supporting 3 or 4 working age adults who consider themselves too good to work.

So anyway I think the reason they have this nice car but are too cheap for parking is because they're prolly close to tapped out month to month. They might be worth a couple million USD, but still be dumbasses who can only get jobs paying <2500RMB and consider themselves too good to take them. They don't want to be losing money every month so they gotta cheap out on certain things.

I notice this with phones too, like nobody gets the subsidized phone to save money on the purchase. They get the high end one and then no data plan. I see tons of lower wage office workers do that, and then they get like a really shitty basic phone and carry them both to 2 numbers free to call. It's like shit, get a more modest phone and spend the difference on a data plan or whatever it costs you not to have to carry a second phone. Id rather have an old galaxy ace and be able to stream videos and call who I want than a Xperia Z2 i'm too bummy to actually use.

I'm telling you...they're afraid of recurring charges. They can save 6000 RMB for the latest unlocked phone on their 2500 per month, but they can't bring themselves to pay 350/mth for the subsidized plan. Whatever money got them that car is probably never going to happen again

As an aside I LOVE tiny little nominal charges like 200 for parking cause it does clear out all the bums. My old complex had a gym that was pretty nice, when it was free it was full of shitheads...old people bringing little kids to hang out, fucking worthless. They made it cost 10RMB, which isn't bad at all and suddenly it was only expats going!

mike695ca, expatlife26, you're both snobbish asses, but I love your observations. They're a great read. And I can't disagree with anything you said here. YOu probably know your neighbours better than they know themselves. It's Starving Farmers Syndrome at its finest. But in a way I can't really blame them: They got their little fortunes to work their way up in forsaken China, the playground for the rich. Is there any way they can actually make good money? Even the jetsetters in China are relying heavily on the housing market, so they're just copying what everyone else does here, or trying to. They're like kids playing at being adults: They have their culture, their customs and traditions, their expectations from family, their socially mandated behaviour, but for everything else in life, they haven't got a clue. They don't know how to stay safe, clean, productive or even how to relax or have fun (food seems to be an exception - it's THE definition of enjoyment in Sichuan anyway, and everyone cooks and eats), because initiative has never been expected of them. So, they just sit around and do nothing in their free time. Perhaps they hope a relative will visit soon, so 'face' provides them with a reason to switch on the air-conditioning.

My bf can spend more than 100 yuan on a nice meal or a crap movie he invites me to.  But he's reluctant to dish out 30 yuan to a taxi driver when we are waiting at a crowded dirty bus stop for a bus that never comes.  Can you make much sense out of it?  

Another example.  In Christianity abortion is forbidden.  But sex before marriage is generally allowed and less heatedly debated.  Does it make sense? 

Back to the home base.  My dad is a cheap guy.  He never takes a bus when he can walk.  But when he sees a tool he really likes he will buy it without so much as a blink.

To get a most plausible answer for the benefit of your social studies, walk to one or two of those farmers and ask them directly in the face.  It's so much better than speculation here.It saves everyone's time. It makes sense, no?

To be fair, this is not a Chinese specific thing.  Every country I have been to have people who are not used to having money.  There is no old money in China.  Every wealthy person is nouveau riche.  In my hometown, Detroit, there were drug dealers living in the ghetto with cars more expensive than their homes.  I believe they call them ghetto-fabulous.  Wherever there are poor people with new money, you will see this sort of behaviour.  Money can't buy away ignorance.

@juanisaac  I saw your reply just now.  Other transportation alternatives are fine with me if they are economically available.  Costs can be reduced when a good plan is made and followed.  There is also a fine line between need and want.  Whether to spend or not to spend is not a legitimate question for you AFTER you've made a decision.  ALWAYS involve your gf in the decision making process and give her ALL the details if you are in a situation that involves you both. 

I am also human and I do want to enjoy all human comforts when I can afford them.  But sometimes I am torn between desire and reality.  I do hope my bf can cut his *unnecessary" spending to save more and get life going the way he wants to under China's weak welfare system.  I can make him more money-wise if he is more willing to take my advice and act on it on a continuous and sustainable basis. But I'm well aware that he is a big big boy now and too much advice can hurt our young relationship especially in consideration of his sensitivity and pride.  Besides who's here to judge which is an unnecessary cost? 
 

So the answer to your question is easy: open communications.  

I guess those farmers may think like me in some ways.

The secure parking space in our district costs Y90,000.  We park out on the street but that's hardly a problem.  Only about a 40 metre walk and we don't have to bother with opening and closing the space and maneuvering around the carpark.

The true measure of  power, 'face', is how many keys does the chap have hanging off his belt.

Asset rich with no cash flow is the reason there, Mike.

I had a landlord who was two years younger than me (28). When I needed to top up the gas card he gave me for the luxury apartment complex which was about 33% filled and three years old but already looking decrepit, I went to the state owned shitty top up centre and gave them the card. On the screen in front of the teller popped up a mug shot and the ID data of his wife as well as the number of gas and power cards owned by her. I didn't have time to count them all, but a reasonable guess would be between 25 and 40 apartments, all relatively new in the same city. Prices here range between 8000 and 12,000 per square metre.

Anyway, when I came to the end of my tenancy and decided not to renew it, this guy tried to cheat me out of my 1000 kuai deposit.

A man who owned assets with a paper value of at least 20 to 30 million tried to cheat me out of 1000 kuai with stories about paying for the underfloor heating which I didn't use, water rates and electricity which I'd already paid for and had I not, I'd be litigating with a third party anyway.

Maybe these people that you call "new money farmers" are just keeping it real. maybe you are looking down upon them just to make yourself feel or look good.

Its their country they can do whatever they want with their benzes, who are you to judge?

Do you really believe you are better???