China's salary system has been reclassified into position rankings, whereby salary levels have been broken down into a basic salary, position salary, bonus salary and salary dependant on length of service, the calculating of pensions has also been revamped. This surprised me, it's from cri.com:-
Ninety-eight-year-old grandpa Du lives in an ordinary apartment building with his family in Qingdao, Shandong Province, in eastern China. Along with his son, daughter-in-law and his granddaughter, the three generations are sharing a quiet, idyllic life.As a worker in a local fuel company before retirement, grandpa Du now lives totally off his monthly pension. Talking about the changes in salaries, grandpa Du has a lot to say."Before the foundation of the People's Republic of China, people felt life was insecure. However, things were completely different after 1949. I retired in 1975, back then salaries were not high, like 70 to 80 yuan a month, but enough to live off.My pension has been raised a couple of times since my retirement. It has been raised to over 1,700 yuan a month and the services here are quite good"
There is also a housing security system in China, called the "housing provident fund" is composed of two parts. A certain percentage of money from an employee's monthly salary is set aside for housing. Meanwhile, their employer has to offer up the same amount of money, deposited into the same bank account. People can withdraw this amount of money for the purpose of purchasing, decorating or renting an apartment.So as always here it's not quite as it first appears! Governmental statistics state that the average Chinese workers salary is 13.5 percent higher than last year and according to the findings of the" 2008 Chinese happiness index"
Men feel as happy as women. People older than 60 feel happier than other people and people with higher education qualifications are happier than those with lower education qualifications. Although many people think "marriage is the tomb of love", married people are much happier than single people. Income is a factor that people can't shake off when they talk about happiness. In this survey, people with a monthly salary of 2,000-4,000 yuan are happier than those earning 6,000-8,000 yuan every month. However, people with an income of 15,000-20,000 yuan a month are happiest.
China, and its role in the world around it, defies simple categorisation. To look closely at the country is to realise how little you really comprehend it, in all its complexity and contradictions. It is of a vastness and singularity that defies casual understanding.You really do have to let go of all the things you think you know about China.