Before Christmas, I have stayed in Beijing for a short time to visit my sister and my mom. One of their relative also lives at my sister's house. From her situation, it tells part of the stress situation of Chinese young generation.
She is 27 and graduated last year with a Bachelor's Degree. She majored in some kind of law (her father has a law firm). She started internship last year in a magazine company for law, after she graduated she stayed in the same company works as an editor. Her salary is 1500 Chinese Yuan per month(about EURO170?). Due to the expensive rental in Beijing, she lives with my sister and her family all the times.
She was very upset at this time. Not only because of the job, also because she is already 27 but has no boyfriend yet. She has been to many blind dates but come to nothing.
I know her since years. I thought she got a very good character. She is not a material girl, and she looks forward a real love, not a man who has a good car and house. She is also not ugly.
She is not the only one I know who is frustrating and depressing. At this moment in China, the first 'one-child' generation is grown up. They started to get married and have their own children. The problem is coming. Because the incomplete social system, most Chinese have no healthy and social insurance. The couple both are from one-child family have to take responsibilities of their own child plus four parents.
I am the lucky one because I am not the only child in my family. That's why I don't have to worry even though at this moment my mom is sick and staying in hospital. If I don't have sister and brother, maybe I can not even come to live in Germany.
Hi Lingling,
ReplyDeleteThis post lead me to some thinking.
I believe what was expected was a problem with young men being able to find wives, because of less girl children. Yet you find your friends having a hard time this way, and I kind of noticed this before, with some of your posts over the years.
I am inclined to say that this is one of those human puzzles we live with especially these days, and have really for the last 50 years as there has been such velocity of change.
If I judge from my own parents, a good marriage is made of people who discover together that they can be deep friends. Even though this was and remains their less than usual gift, I think in it some answer for these problems which your generation as well as my own face and have faced.
In a world with so many surface-only patterns and values, compared to older ways, it can be hard for young people -- and older, again ;) -- to get the chance to meet with intention to be a bit free of other expectations, and thus be able to find such a path.
How do we all get wiser, and more fortunate? That's our good story and stories, to discover, at least I think so.
I think trying to take real interest in the other person is a good place to start. There are always potential conflicts with this from 'societal expectations', but that's where our possibility to get a good surprise begins -- again, as far as I can see.
A nice smile as always, towards you and your family.
Clive
For what it is worth, if it is one thing or another, we all have struggles at whatever stage of life we are at.
ReplyDeleteIs your struggle one of luxury or real pain?
In my experience, things always seem to work out in the end.