Life and Travel in China

I've been amazed by China's purchasing power lately. Basically, in every city and town you can already find every global brand - this mainly applies to clothing and handbags, but also electronics, watches, cars, etc. In China, there are simply more and more people who can afford luxury products as well as special services. In Poland, everything is a matter of price, and there, more and more often, price does not play any role. I envy their purchasing power, and I don't mean that they can go to McDonald's with their whole family, but rather that they buy various products and services every day. They do not have to plan their household budget in any special way, because the economic realities of the country they live in allow them to be somewhat extravagant.

Recently I have been dealing with a Chinese company that deals with interior decoration and finishing of offices/apartments. I admit that I was impressed by their designs. I won't discuss tastes and styles, but when it comes to wealth and splendor - it certainly delights. To think that 20-30 years ago most people lived in simple country houses or ordinary apartments with white walls. Now they have a 'late rococo' finish, as the hero of our comedy would say. Louis XVI style furniture, chandeliers like from European hotels, wooden doors with bas-reliefs, some bricks, lowered ceilings, wallpapers, paintings, etc. Just a fairy tale. Now I wonder (maybe a little maliciously) how these people feel there - especially the generation from 1940-1970. These are people who kept everything in one closet, slept on a hard bed, and the only furniture in the hall (because there was no concept of living rooms) were wooden stools and a table - raw, unpainted wood. I wonder if they feel comfortable in these 21st century luxuries, or if they feel uncomfortable but have to live for show?

People in China increasingly feel that money no longer has value. Everything is becoming more expensive very quickly, this mainly applies to large cities, but also to provinces. In the Middle Kingdom, it is no longer a question of having money, but of having huge amounts of money. Many ordinary people work very hard, but find it difficult to achieve middle-class status. On the other hand, some owners of factories, companies with ideas, owners of Internet portals are simply unimaginably rich. More and more often, the young generation does not even have to work because their parents have already provided for them. The increasing stratification of society is visible. Inflation is progressing and strange things are happening in the market. Our friend's neighbor couldn't sell her apartment for RMB 3 million last year, but this year she sold it for RMB 5.5 million (10 years ago the price would have been 10 times lower). There are more and more upscale restaurants with fancy dishes, but there are still bars nearby where you can eat dinner for 10-15 RMB. Sometimes three-wheelers, Chinese family cars and imported Maseratis park almost next to each other. It is difficult to understand where the Chinese economy is heading. The authorities are trying to stop it somehow, but they have no influence on everything.

In China you can buy anything, even a child... Recently, the number of kidnappings has increased. This is not a kidnapping for ransom, but a kidnapping for trade, giving the child to a new family. The whole procedure is made easier by the lack of accurate population records, there is no such thing as PESEL numbers. Many children come from large families and their parents often did not register them anywhere, so as not to pay a fine for another child or risk abortion. How can you then look for a child about whom there is no official information, no birth certificate, no register, no entry, or even an official name and surname? There are also families who simply sell their own children. Kidnapped and trafficked children are handed over to non-Chinese families through Chinese orphanages. There are kidnappings on request, the family determines the child's gender, age and appearance. There are already many gangs operating in the Middle Kingdom that engage in surveillance of children and their families, kidnapping, transporting them to other provinces and selling them - offers are increasingly sent via the Internet. It is estimated that up to 400 children are kidnapped in China every week! Society is getting richer and many childless couples are ready to pay any amount for a child. Chinese society places an emphasis on having a son, which is why boys fetch higher prices (usually $10,000-15,000), although there is also a demand for girls. It seems that the problem has gotten out of control and the authorities must do something, because society is increasingly outraged by this practice. This will probably end with several death sentences for the leaders of criminal groups involved in kidnapping children.

A few weeks ago, the Chinese stock market crashed. There are various stories circulating on the Internet about people who have lost a lot, there have even been suicides and other tragedies. People who took out mortgage loans to buy shares were in the worst situation. Some people lost their own apartments this way. One of our friends also lost a lot of her savings. There was a similar situation many years ago when one of the politicians said that shares were overvalued. Apparently the Chinese have forgotten that lesson and have gone back to 'making money'. For many, it is a way of life: they quit their jobs, sit at the computer and buy/sell shares, observing the market situation. Unfortunately, this often leads to addiction, and after the first profits, they are willing to invest more and more money. This type of game attracts many people and they become addicted to it. The chances of profit are certainly greater than playing in a casino, but you still need to be aware of your financial situation and withdraw at the right time. Blinded by the possibility of profit, the Chinese take stock market risks and fall into ever greater debts. According to specialists, the entire Chinese stock market is overvalued and has no physical coverage. Typical economic bubble. As usual, in the end, the minnows fall away and what remains are the financial sharks - unfortunately, the vast majority of Chinese are just such stock market minnows, they lose a lot of money.