Happiness

I was asked by a recent British visitor to Shanghai if the Chinese were happy?

The Western press maintains a deep suspicion of China because it is a communist, single party state with restrictions on free speech and a draconian one-child policy. The logical assumption in the eyes of the West must therefore be that the Chinese people are deeply unhappy with their lot, and dream of one day living the life of a typical British person...

Here are some typical middle-class lifestyle comparisons that highlight that the opposite should actually be true:

THEIR HOME:
British: One house, big mortgage
Chinese: Two or three apartments (all worth more that the British family's end of terrace), and maybe only one of their properties has a mortgage

THEIR CAR:
British: Two cars, one old, one on credit
Chinese: One car, new, paid in cash

THEIR HOLIDAY:
British: Two weeks in Spain (if air traffic control are not on strike)
Chinese: Multiple short breaks throughout the year visiting various Chinese cities, plus one or two longer trips a year to South East Asia, Australia or Europe. Cruises are also now proving popular...and gambling trips to Macao or Singapore are too.

THEIR SAVINGS:
British: Start their careers with £25,000 of student loans, and spend the first 15 years of their working life mired in credit card debt
Chinese: Save all their life

THEIR CHILDREN:
British: Two kids, state school
Chinese: One kid, private school, and university fully funded by parents & grand parents

EATING OUT:
British: Once or twice a month. More a treat now than it used to be
Chinese: Two or three times a week. A way of life


Yes, there are some major issues in China. The healthcare system is still inconsistent and expensive. The air & water quality are not what they should be. But walking down a street in any of China's major cities, the majority of people are smiling, laughing and enjoying their life.

Now let me ask you the same question...are the British happy?