[MSL]

China related questions and answers

  It's a thread about questions (and I hope -- ANSWERS) about China.
 According to some points of view, there are 2 Chinas today: PRC and Taiwan (Republic of China), but in PRC the official point of view is that there is only 1 China and Taiwan is a province/part of China.
 If you ask me: Except PRC and Taiwan (no matter how part of China it is; I think it's pretty Chinese itself, so no question it's less or more China), I think Singapore is something like another China. But it's already too political, isn't it? I'm trying to avoid the politics and to focus on culture, psychology, anthropology, philosophy and so on...
 So, if you have some Chinese question, let me/let us know!

[Non-SEO]

Chang pao

I'll start with the question "What is chang pao?" I'm sure that many of the people, even these in China, will have no answer about chang pao. But I have. The answer is that chang pao (长袍, cháng páo) is a Chinese traditional men's common wear (lower than the knees and with a round collar band). It has Manchurian origin. A photograph: http://f.hiphotos.baidu.com/baike/c0%3Dbaike92%2C5%2C5%2C92%2C30/sign=dc18b39eb619ebc4d4757ecbe34fa499/c75c10385343fbf217382ad8b57eca8065388f31.jpg
 If the question is about the 长跑 (chang pao's pinyin in this case is 'cháng pǎo') it has another meaning -- 'long-distance running' (more about it: http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=P8kPn6h0QU2CQ2EUrlg2Nnxp3hVq_5Ys9WV5IzFkw2n9-9hbSysbC4dZ62ZRjhlbBM03HMe6xKdN8htZ3bU1mz6F7nU9rwsiUlRdJPDt8M3).

[Alexa]

Is gambling illegal in China?

Yes, the gambling (for example -- casinos, betting in games such as mahjong and card games, unofficial lotteries) is officially illegal in China. But we can participate in the state-run lotteries. All this is in the Mainland China. In Hongkong (Xianggang) and especially in Macao (Aomen) the gambling laws are different (for example there are a lot of legal casinos in Macao).

[SEO]

About the question "Are Chinese and Japanese the same language?"

Maybe for most of us is funny to read or hear a question like "Are Chinese and Japanese the same language?", but there are many guys, who have no idea about these languages and we're here to help with the answer.
 
Chinese and Japanese are not the same language. Japanese has some common or similar characters, but it's not Chinese. If you know how to read Chinese characters well, you may understand only a bit Japanese (and vice versa). When it comes about speaking (the oral Chinese and the oral Japanese), they're even more different. Chinese is a Sino-Tibetan language and Japanese is an Altaic language. There is Chinese influence in Japanese, but it's not enough to make these languages the same or similar.

Examples

Writing/typing:
"How are you?" in Japanese: "お元気ですか？"
"How are you?" in Chinese: "你好吗?"
Oral:
"How are you?" in Japanese: "Ogenki desuka?"
"How are you?" in Chinese: "Ni hao ma?"

[mojo]

The only contact I have had with things of Chinese as far as culture or even today's environment, ways of the people, government, etc. is either what I see in a few movies or news. I know right off the bat, neither is to be depended on to portray what it is really like, as movies don't actually show real life and news always has a bias and slant to it.

I'm just now noticing this thread though it appears to have been up since last month.

So my first question is can you maybe describe how the average Chinese citizens' life is as far as level of luxuries, maybe how they go about in their daily routine, not for the city dweller but for those far removed from the city? I know this is a very broad question with many different possible ways to answer.

[Alexa]

One fast answer from me. Fast and short, but very exact, imo: the problem with some of these people is that they don't have the right priority. Maybe you know the case when someone wanted luxury, before the more important things in the life: he sold his kidney to buy the newest cellphone model!

[MSL]

The only contact I have had with things of Chinese as far as culture or even today's environment, ways of the people, government, etc. is either what I see in a few movies or news. I know right off the bat, neither is to be depended on to portray what it is really like, as movies don't actually show real life and news always has a bias and slant to it.

I'm just now noticing this thread though it appears to have been up since last month.

So my first question is can you maybe describe how the average Chinese citizens' life is as far as level of luxuries, maybe how they go about in their daily routine, not for the city dweller but for those far removed from the city? I know this is a very broad question with many different possible ways to answer.

I told you (in a PM of mine) that I plan to open a topic like this. Good to see it's getting some more attention!
 I'll adjust something about it: in nowadays China it matters in which province you're living and working most. Some far from the cities towns (and even villages) in the richest provinces can have better standard than the cities in the poorest provinces.
 What's your definition of 'luxury'? (It's a sort of subjective; I'd like to know what exactly you have in mind, when you use this word and then I can answer more correctly. )
 If I try to describe an average family as a property in the average town: Maybe it's something like this -- 2-3 rooms, 1-2 electric bikes, 1 computer, 2-3 cellphones, around USD 800 monthly income (or around USD 10 000 yearly), if both of them are working. 1 or 2 kids.
 I'm not sure how close to the statistical reality is my guess, but this is what I count now approximately. I can conclude it as: not poor at all, but also not rich.
 Visual example -- this is one of the towns around us. I think it's a typical example of a town in a not very rich province and pretty far from the nearest rich cities (Guangzhou and Shenzhen): ^{By Anna Frodesiak - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37315131}.

[mojo]

Something like the image you just supplied most in the US would never see. It's not newsworthy to write about, it's not photogenic to make a movie at, so there is no interest in displaying such.

In terms of luxury, let me put it a way that some of the neo-con political organizations used to try and justify social program budget cuts. Our poor people aren't really poor, in comparison to other countries. They have cars, air conditioners, microwaves, stereos, etc. Their point and mine being different.

Their idea was to attempt to show that our poor are on a different level than those of 3^rd world countries. That somehow this came out to be our poor are really rich. This being the justification to use to attempt to cut another round of those things the government puts money into.

This is an entirely false representation. Mainly because those surrounding them have much better choices and options to pick from solely because of the financial circumstances they find themselves in. As some one else said, 'it is expensive to be poor'.

By luxuries I don't mean 'bling' that is shown off to say someone has made it, financial wise. Rather I mean those items who they can afford, that take the place of other items that were probably hand powered by necessity. For instance an electric mixer. It's not something that only the rich might obtain yet serves a purpose to make the life of one easier, hence a luxury.

[SEO]

I got a call right now from 2 friends, who are living exactly of a type you talk about. It's at least 6-7 hours (by bus) far from the capital of the province and it's maybe one of the poorest towns in their province. They haven't any problem with the clothes and shoes (maybe to buy a new pair of good shoes is only 3% of the monthly salary and to buy a new trousers/pants and shirt is only around 4-5% of that salary. Paying monthly bills for electricity, water and others, for instance -- building management: lifts, cleaning, etc., around 6% of the salary. Others -- transportation spendings and so on -- around 5% of the salary. They like to ear meat every day or every other day. This is the reason they spend maybe more than 40% of the money for food. If they have more vegetarian menu like tofu, eggs, milk, fruit and vegetables, they will spend maybe not more than 15-25% of the salary and they will be quite able to save at least 20-35% of the salary, if they decide to buy something more like a new electric fan or a new cell phone/mobile phone or they have some short travel nearby.)
This comes to show that for them buying mixers, air-conditioners, fridges, computers and other electronics or chairs, sofa and other furniture isn't a problem at all. So what's the luxury for them? I think only 2: houses and travel abroad. Their monthly salaries are around $770 (this is in American dollars). Can you imagine what you can afford with this money in France, Holland, Australia, Canada or the US? Maybe only the hotel will cost you a bit more than this money? You know better. With the Chinese salaries (the average people) the travel most probably is convenient only in countries like Russia, Vietnam, India. Only the upper-middle class here can afford tourism/destinations like Australia, Japan, Great Britain, USA, Canada, New Zealand, France and other countries, where the prices are higher than in China (because the salaries/the incomes are much higher). That's why more and more Chinese travel abroad. Millions of Chinese. But these millions are maybe only 5-10% of the entire population, i.e. per capita isn't high.
And about the houses/apartments/flats -- only one word: expensive.
The cars are probably something luxury for many families. Most of the present women around have 3 basic conditions for their future husband: own apartment/flat, stable good job (as high as possible salary) and a car. Some of them even are not going to date you, if you have no own living place and a car!
An average car probably equals 30-40 month higher incomes.
Sometimes I miss the good old days, when the common people were proud to be proletarian and very proud just because they are hard working. Well, it's not necessary better than now in many aspects now we may live better than before, but the happiness isn't so easy to achieve. Before I was happy, because I had a new bike. Now I have many other new things: new radio, new fridge, new calculator, new computer... but I'm not happy, because I didn't visit... let me take out my list , Las Vegas, Amsterdam, Singapore, Seoul and Saipan (it's an island in the Pacific ocean).

[mojo]

The general rule of thumb to live within your means here has for a generation to spend no more than 25% of your monthly wages on housing, be that buying a place or renting one. This has fallen by the way side due to two factors.

One of them is all the jobs that open up are part time, minimum wage jobs. The second one is because of the house bubble crash, prices on rentals have gone through the roof. Forget buying a house unless you are fairly well off.

Today's reality is that on one working at minimum wage, full time, can afford to rent. In a survey I believe done last year, there was no state in the nation where you could find a two bedroom apartment for minimum wage, if you spent all your monthly wage on it. One might ask why a two bedroom but if you are a woman with child, then you understand the need.

Fact is it takes at least two minimum wage jobs to pay for the rent and utilities. In part this is why no one on minimum wage is actually making ends meet. All the  middle class jobs are leaving or have already left and all that remains are those jobs in service or jobs that can't be exported such as digging a ditch. When the government reports how many new jobs opened up for the month, they fail to mention that those are all minimum wage jobs. They like to paint it as the economy is getting better by new jobs opening up.

In the last economic crash over the bubbles, once it started getting better, the workers didn't see it. All the money went to the rich and the corporations. Nothing filtered down to the workers. So for them, this recession has never actually ended since it started. Times just keep getting tougher. It's also key to why there is a large and growing homeless population. Once in the homeless trap, it's hard to get out of it. To have an interview for a job, one must have an address, a contact number to be reached. Without income that's not feasible. It's a Catch 22.

[Alexa]

Btw, people outside China seem tend to see the big and strong aspects of China, while inside China, we are more aware of its weaknesses and the challenges.

[SEO]

脸基尼 (liǎnjīní)

  Don't be afraid. It's not that scary. 脸基尼 (pinyin: liǎnjīní) in English is 'facekini'.

^{By User:Eat me, I'm a red bean - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42715424}

More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facekini.