Three families with different attitudes, aspirations and dreams

If you are talking about a middle class, you need to be sure exactly which one you are talking about. Definitions of the term differ not only from expert to expert but also from country to country.

Zhang Haidong, a professor at the School of Sociology and Political Science at Shanghai University, says that in the West the term middle class usually refers to people such as executives, professionals, salespeople and office workers, while in China many in the emerging middle class are self-employed, such as traders and owners of businesses.

Ultimately, too, such people are from all kinds of backgrounds, and the paths that have taken them to the middle class and the lives they lead are many and varied. Here are the stories of three members of China's middle class.

The charity worker

Helping others not only means a living for Su Zhongxi, 33, it also gives him immense satisfaction.

After working seven years for domestic and international charitable groups, he decided in 2013 to set up a consultancy to help such groups with promotion, fundraising and communication with businesses.

"For me, public service is about raising people's awareness of important issues and ensuring people know how to help those in need," says Su, of Beijing.

Some passionate grassroots organizations need to promote their programs, he says, while some companies want to fulfill their corporate social responsibilities and need to find good projects to support but don't know where to look.

Last year his company started to promote the First 1,000 Days project of the United Nations World Food Programme, which aims to ensure all children receive the nutrition they need during the first 1,000 days between a mother's pregnancy and her child's second birthday.

"It means a lot to infants. Good nutrition during the critical period brings lasting benefits to them - they are healthier and perform better in school."

The five-year project in China calls for the public to focus on the issue and help mothers in impoverished areas. Its ambassador is Li Na, the retired two-time tennis Grand Slam champion.

Su is also keenly interested in animal rights and welfare. He has been a vegetarian for 10 years, saying he believes in protecting animals and wants to be healthy.

"It influences others as well. My parents and several friends are not as into meat as they used to be."

Once he saw a horse lying on the ground after a crash, badly injured. The owner was bargaining for compensation from the bus driver, rather than trying to save his companion, he says.

"These creatures really need to be treated humanely."

After graduating from university, he became a volunteer with an animal protection association and later, keen on promoting awareness of animal rights, he quit his job with an international company and became a full-time NGO worker. At first, he saved only stray animals, but then he started to do animal welfare work because he wanted to help more than individuals.

Such work has helped him understand how important empathy is, he says, both for animals and human beings.

The two-child family

As China's two-child policy, which took effect on Jan 1, exerts its influence, families with two children will become more common.

In 2013, the one-child policy was changed to allow a second child if one of the parents was from a one-child family. The family of Xu Jihang, 41, met that requirement. They have a 9-year-old son and his wife gave birth to a girl in December.

Traditionally in China, having a son and a daughter augurs well for family happiness. In fact, the Chinese character meaning good, hao, is a hybrid of the characters for daughter and son.

Xu is a university architecture lecturer in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. The couple used to take their son on outings such as picnics, cycling and hiking on weekends. Now that they have an infant, the boy attends English classes and plays basketball on weekends.

The couple are paying off a mortgage on their home, and other big expenses include education fees, insurance premiums and travel. "My wife and I are not particularly outgoing," Xu says. "Many of our social activities involve our son, and we spend a lot of time with other families. Thanks to that we have gotten to know our acquaintances better."

The couple are keen to teach their son to become independent, and they arranged a gap year for him before he went to primary school to broaden his horizons and increase his exposure to nature. During that year, they spent three months in Australia, Yunnan province and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Xu says his son is more interested in nature than culture, preferring to have fun at the beach in a place without many tourists.

The couple say they put a premium on health and quality of life. Su often jogs with his son and walks with his wife. The couple take a stroll twice a day, walking a total of about 40 kilometers a week.

In their spare time, they have afternoon tea and read books in their small garden, where his wife grows flowers.

"It's important to live each day to the fullest," Xu says. "I'm not after wealth or honors. I just want my family to be healthy and happy."

The private company employee

Ru Yi, 32, has a job that many people would probably envy: She travels all over looking for beautiful destinations that others can enjoy. But her job isn't always so idyllic.

Ru is deputy manager of Woniu (Beijing) Tourist Attraction Management, a company that offers consulting to tourist locations and potential tourist locations in China, helping them make the most of their assets. She and her colleagues visit the locations, conduct research and then formulate a proposal on improvements.

"My nerves are constantly on edge because I have to be able to foresee the unforeseen," Ru says. "You really can't enjoy beautiful scenery when you are under that kind of pressure."

Still, her work gets her out from behind a desk and gives her the chance to meet many people, she says, and if she wants a break she can take some days to fly off to nearby destinations such as Japan or Thailand.

She likes the hustle and bustle of Beijing, she says, and enjoys the convenience of living downtown.

"I don't want to waste time on the daily commute. Also, as house prices soar, my husband and I don't want to spend all our savings on a dream home."

So they rent an apartment and have bought a much less expensive house in their hometown. That means they have extra money to enjoy life.

They often go to the movies and buy video disks, she says. Since they turned 30, they have spent more on healthcare, and buy nutritional supplements, have massages and visit the gym.

Ru says it is important for her and her husband to get on well with their parents and to allow everybody to have their own space. They do not live with their parents, as many do in China, because she thinks parents should be able to enjoy their own lives.

For now, her biggest wish is to become pregnant before June, if possible, and have a second child within the next couple of years.

"In my generation, parents were very strict with their children, but I won't put restrictions on my children. I want them to have childhood free of care."

By the numbers

Among 3,017 respondents to the Blue Book survey in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, 49.6 percent were regarded as middle class. The average age of the middle-class respondents was 40, and 47 percent were men, with 61 percent saying they own their own house and 43.6 percent a private car.

In the three cities, in 2013 the average annual family income of the middle class was 197,900 yuan ($30,465; 27,390 euros), nearly three and a half times that of those of lower socio-economic status (55,990 yuan).

The average wage income of the middle class in 2013 was 191,879 yuan, and of those of lower status 60,772 yuan. The average income related to activities outside employment of the middle class was 32,600 yuan, and of the other group 5,740 yuan. The property income of the middle class was 21,400 yuan and of the other group 1,450 yuan.

In 2013, the total average expenses of the middle class amounted to 113,740 yuan, and of the other group 41,680 yuan. The middle class spent most on food and beverages, about 30,000 yuan, on which the other group spent less than 20,000 yuan. The middle class spent the second most on housing, 15,100 yuan, four times that of the other group.

China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 03/18/2016 page17)