Xu Xiaomin

Survival tips for a satisfactory life

By Xu Xiaomin (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-05 07:48

When I recently glanced at some statistics pointing out that employees in Shanghai were among the richest such group in the country, my first reaction was one of complete surprise.

The National Bureau of Statistics has listed us Shanghainese at the top, with yearly average incomes of 63,549 yuan, even as the country's average is only half this number.

It may very well be true, but what the report does not include are two other key figures - the cost of living and the happiness index.

According to the ECA International Survey on Cost of Living, Shanghai is the most expensive city in the mainland, followed by Beijing and Guangzhou.

What's worse, in a report analyzing the happiness index of middle-class families in China that was released in March, Shanghai and Beijing came right at the bottom among the 35 cities surveyed.

What is the reason? Anyone with some understanding of modern society will know - unaffordable housing prices, huge work pressure and competition, traffic congestion and high cost of educating children.

The report has arrived at the same conclusion.

If you think these reports are too dry, I, a Shanghai woman in her early '30s who has been bracketed into the "rich group" will arrive at a detailed picture of life in the metropolis. After that, you can draw your conclusions.

My typical working day starts with a struggle in the metro train. Since I work in the CBD area and can't afford to live close by, I need to change two metro lines, the two busiest in Shanghai.

The metro system is full of unpleasant surprises everyday. Delays and inadequate air-conditioning are often not the worst problems; the worst is when you try to get off the train, and hundreds of impatient passengers from outside can't wait to rush in.

Dirty shoes are just one of the bitter results of such near stampedes. One could hire a taxi, of course, but it costs 35 yuan and takes the same amount of time as a public transport commute.

Compared with the struggles in the metro, a white-collar job seems pleasant enough! After answering innumerable calls and replying to countless emails, I barely have time for lunch!

I guess there are as many white-collar workers in the Shanghai CBD area as the entire population of a small European nation.