What is "Mid Class" in your country?!

[badguy2000]

China's social classes:

1. Gold collars: high ranked civil servants,leaders of big enterprises .they are the powerful leaders of Chinese society

2."Mid class": the successful white collars and small businessmen who owns 2 real assets in urban areas at least while owing few debts.
Chinese "mid class" can live a modern and cozy life similar with west "mid class".

3" Employee Class": those that has stable jobs in government or enterprises,but has only one appartment or has to live in tenements.
quite a part of "Employee class" are "potential mid class". they can rise to "Mid class" when they retire.

4."Peasants or Peasant worker": those that has no stable jobs in cities . in fact, the income of "peasant workers" is not much less than "Employee class". however, "Peasant workers" has little chance to rise to "Mid Class".

5."homeless guys and unemployed class "

 

[hit&run]

Mentality:
I am from a vegetarian family, my monthly expenditure for ration is 4k rs, Milk 2k, petrol 1k, electricity and phones 4k. I live in a joint family, my dad never liked us to drive away from town, doing long pilgrimage, buying food from out side, no over cosy friendship and having parties with friends, school to home home to job to home. However i am a rebel, he knows it, but is still proactive in monitoring my activities and honestly i like his authoritarian kind of love. Most of the Indian families are like this. So my point is that we consider our self as upper middle class but we are living a very very simple life with just adequate luxury. My elder sister and my brother in law have a manufacturing unit in Punjab and he factory employ 280 workers now has built a new unit for dying denim and will employ 30 workers, yearly turn over(pays excise). I mean he is a multi millionaire but lives a simple lief, drives TATA indiac, lives in a simple house with his joint family and where my sister cooks family food etc (no extra showy assets).

My feeling about Urban China is that they are more into western life style (live away from home ) cause they have achieved more modern cities and infrastructures before India so they are in a posistion to further update those well established infrastructure in faster speed. That is why Chinese suburbia look more photogenic and well planned but as Indians prefer to do business near home and find jobs(Scared of living away from home) are randomly investing money to construct and renovate their old houses. In my community alone every year we have seen neighbours fighting with each other when one will start earning bouts of money and raising another storey on previous one . I must add that Indians save money and have heaps of gold due to scene future insecurities and would be health problems. People do not know any thing about health insurance. My wild guess is that only 10 to 8% have fully covered health insurance. Yes % for life insurance policy holders is much higher then health insurance. We middle class Indians are still buying treatment with liquid cash.

Adding: In Punjabi we say ''ke load aa'. What is the necessity? mean keep it simple, there is no need. However the life style has changed a lot in metropolitan cities(more western) but the small cities are much prosper but less glittering. My dad's another comment on western life style is ''saale branded poor''.====================

 

[p2prada]

China has dignity of labour in their cities. India does not. A college student working part time in a garage will be frowned upon by peers and teachers alike in india. I guess it is not so in China. This is easily the most important aspect of Chinese Westernization. It is a good thing.

Also, Mid class families in India are definitely poorer than the Chinese Mid class families simply because China is richer. We are just getting there.

The per capita income of Mid class families in India is lesser because of bigger families compared to China's 1 child policy. The ability of a typical Chinese family to provide education for their children is superior to Indian families. Chinese education is also cheaper. As a whole the one child policy may hurt the Chinese in the future. But, right now they are capable of providing a better quality education compared to India.

I don't know if Chinese healthcare is cheaper. However, in quality China wins hands down. There is really no competition if you compare the govt hospitals in China to India. The quality of treatment and time for treatment is definitely better.

Bureaucracy in India is even worse and it always affects Mid income families when it comes to power and water supplies. It is pathetic. China has no such major problems affecting the middle classes.

The supply of food products is also superior in China. We currently have a massive food inflation and China has no such problems. Their weather helps. But, it is no excuse for India to not do the same.

So, there is really no way to compare the Chinese to the Indians when the Chinese have superior facilities and a more optimistic attitude in their work culture ad daily life. We are some way to go before a proper comparison can be made.

 

[amoy]

There's little bias towards laborers here (relatively speaking) since China had a very radical revolution and land reform in which the society was restructured (or kind of 'upside down'), compared to India, although general mindset has been changing after the 'reform and opening up‘。 My dad often referred to his school days when he actually received a subsidy (rice, no cash in the time of 1960's) from the goverment sponsored high school and he in fact supported his family that way. In contrast 10years ago college tuition was just a token amount hardly covering textbooks/accomodations etc. (China's universities offer accomodations for students). However, nowadays 'poor' students get loans or simply funded by scholarship. It gets common college students do part-time jobs, since education gets 'market-oriented' with high tuitions too.

For our so-called 'mid class' I guess the heaviest burdens are mainly
1) property price: look at the price even in a medium captial city like mine averagely RMB10K/Sqm, needless to mention Shanghai avg. 20K...
2) education: the tuition for even kindergarten (I don't know if 'tuition' is a proper word), and ...schools since we have to turn to private schools more and more, unlike my parents' time - public schools - free + allowance to students

As for health care I personally feel ok as being covered by insurance. but we mostly rely on public hospitals (very crowded and sometimes bad mannered) while not trusting private clinics (on the contrary to some perceptions that private service is better).

Of course unemployment is a threat to maintaining that 'mid class' standard. Life is not a rosy garden, with ups and downs (never stagnant in the 'middle')


Hit&Run's lifestyle is quite similar to what I saw in Guangdong (Pearl River Delta) - private business and big houses. I especially appreciate his mentality towards life. In comparison many Chinese are simply too materialism. By the way I'm wondering being vegetarian is out of religious belief or simply a personal preference.

Of course all this is but my fragmented observation, from a small small corner, of the big big world.

 

[Yusuf]

I think in absolute terms, may be the chinese mid class is richer than india. But what about the purchasing power terms? How does that compare? Anyone with more knowledge?

 

[Singh]

I think in absolute terms, may be the chinese mid class is richer than india. But what about the purchasing power terms? How does that compare? Anyone with more knowledge?

you, p2p and H&r got it wrong.

China is a typical high income divide country. The rich is very rich. The poor is very poor(comparatively).
There is a huge regional divide in China too, with certain provinces rivalling western nations and some rivalling subsaharan Africa.


India has a huge middle and poor classes and a small rich class. No wonder that India's growth is based on indigenous consumption and not exports.

In India anyone can make it to the top, in China you have got to be close to the CPC to get far. (Not speaking about HKG or Macau).

----

 

[Singh]

Mentality:
I am from a vegetarian family, my monthly expenditure for ration is 4k rs, Milk 2k, petrol 1k, electricity and phones 4k. I live in a joint family, my dad never liked us to drive away from town, doing long pilgrimage, buying food from out side, no over cosy friendship and having parties with friends, school to home home to job to home. However i am a rebel, he knows it, but is still proactive in monitoring my activities and honestly i like his authoritarian kind of love. Most of the Indian families are like this. So my point is that we consider our self as upper middle class but we are living a very very simple life with just adequate luxury. My elder sister and my brother in law have a manufacturing unit in Punjab and he factory employ 280 workers now has built a new unit for dying denim and will employ 30 workers, yearly turn over(pays excise). I mean he is a multi millionaire but lives a simple lief, drives TATA indiac, lives in a simple house with his joint family and where my sister cooks family food etc (no extra showy assets).

My feeling about Urban China is that they are more into western life style (live away from home ) cause they have achieved more modern cities and infrastructures before India so they are in a posistion to further update those well established infrastructure in faster speed. That is why Chinese suburbia look more photogenic and well planned but as Indians prefer to do business near home and find jobs(Scared of living away from home) are randomly investing money to construct and renovate their old houses. In my community alone every year we have seen neighbours fighting with each other when one will start earning bouts of money and raising another storey on previous one . I must add that Indians save money and have heaps of gold due to scene future insecurities and would be health problems. People do not know any thing about health insurance. My wild guess is that only 10 to 8% have fully covered health insurance. Yes % for life insurance policy holders is much higher then health insurance. We middle class Indians are still buying treatment with liquid cash.

Adding: In Punjabi we say ''ke load aa'. What is the necessity? mean keep it simple, there is no need. However the life style has changed a lot in metropolitan cities(more western) but the small cities are much prosper but less glittering. My dad's another comment on western life style is ''saale branded poor''.====================

You are so unPunjabi like

 

[hit&run]

You are so unPunjabi like

LoL
i haven't started on how much money we have spent on marriages and dowry for my both sister's. You can not even guess(i know you are from very well to do background but still you can not guess i repeat ..''''''''''''''''.)

I am a urban Punjabi and the Punjabi you are talking about are rural big land lords getting mad when coming in cities to roam around spending money. We were working/labour class families from very poor background so we have somehow find the balance between living a simple life and spending money on more appropriate occasions.

 

[p2prada]

My family does not accept Dowries. We frown upon it. We are just happy with having the girl.

 

[amoy]

Dowries

What a lovely word! In rural China dowry is also given but not so popular in urban areas.

in my city we usually give RMB 333 or 3333 or 30000 plus rings or diamond etc. to bride's parents then the parents usually pass it to the bride in turn. it gets ritual in fact as we regard 3 as an auspicioius number here.

it's unique that in some places the girl's parents are supposed to give dowry to bridegroom's parents. really rare in China and often a laughing stock of people in other places.

 

[Singh]

LoL
i haven't started on how much money we have spent on marriages and dowry for my both sister's. You can not even guess(i know you are from very well to do background but still you can not guess i repeat ..''''''''''''''''.)

I am a urban Punjabi and the Punjabi you are talking about are rural big land lords getting mad when coming in cities to roam around spending money. We were working/labour class families from very poor background so we have somehow find the balance between living a simple life and spending money on more appropriate occasions.

Seen punjabis going wild, many times

I am sure you must've spent a lot. Saari kasar kadi na kadi tey kaddi nay ai

My family does not accept Dowries. We frown upon it. We are just happy with having the girl.

It depends on family to family, many of the time the girl's families gives a dowry forcefully too.

What a lovely word! In rural China dowry is also given but not so popular in urban areas.

in my city we usually give RMB 333 or 3333 or 30000 plus rings or diamond etc. to bride's parents then the parents usually pass it to the bride in turn. it gets ritual in fact as we regard 3 as an auspicioius number here.

it's unique that in some places the girl's parents are supposed to give dowry to bridegroom's parents. really rare in China and often a laughing stock of people in other places.

Amongst muslims the guy's family has to give "dowry" to the girl's family.

 

[tarunraju]

China's definition of 'mid class' differs from that of India. Hence the two countries' middle classes are apples and oranges. It would be best to use another index. Like the Prosperity Index..this is where people are compared keeping social strata aside. And this is where India's general population beats that of China (Rank 45 vs. 71).

 

[Vinod2070]

^^ THat's an interesting index. India fails on some critical sub indices like education, health and security while China scores lower on democracy, governance and personal freedom.

Surprise!

 

[badguy2000]

I think in absolute terms, may be the chinese mid class is richer than india. But what about the purchasing power terms? How does that compare? Anyone with more knowledge?

well, Indian "mid class" can afford more "servants" or " housekeepers" than Chinese "Mid class",because it costs much less to hire "servants" and "housekeepers" in India than in China.
Most Chinese visitors to India are extremely surprised how India 'mid class" can afford sooooo many "servants" and "housekeepers" while most Chinese "mid class" can afford one housekeeper at most .

Besides, in CHina, "servant" class has disappeared since revolatuion in 1949. Chinese "housekeepers" are most are staff of "housekeeping companies".

However,CHinese "mid class" have much more eletriical household appliances in home than India's "mid class".

Frankly speaking, even CHinese peansant workers class has more modern elect. household appliancees such as AC in home than theIndia's "mid class" has in home.

 

[badguy2000]

What a lovely word! In rural China dowry is also given but not so popular in urban areas.

in my city we usually give RMB 333 or 3333 or 30000 plus rings or diamond etc. to bride's parents then the parents usually pass it to the bride in turn. it gets ritual in fact as we regard 3 as an auspicioius number here.

it's unique that in some places the girl's parents are supposed to give dowry to bridegroom's parents. really rare in China and often a laughing stock of people in other places.

in CHina, "Dowry" are mostly a token of Bride's parent's bless.

 

[Vinod2070]

I think this can provide some perspective of the differences and similarity between the two countries.

China appears more "efficient" and India "chaotic". There is a method to the "madness" of India and there is a huge underside to the surface "efficiency" of China.