Every once in a while, I will profile someone interesting living in Beijing. My first victim is AC. Well, his name is not really AC but he sells air conditioners so we'll just name him AC for now. I met him when we were shopping for - you guessed it, air conditioners. He is a nice looking young man who is only 20-years-old. I found him fascinating because he spoke so eloquently about air conditioners to the point where I wanted to buy 3 or 4 from him. AC told me that he didn't go to college and was a poor student in high school, so he moved from Hebei to make money in Beijing. Similar to how people go to big cities like New York to chase after money. He says he makes about $3000-$4000 RMB per month which is close to the average salary of $3500-$3900 RMB (approx $560 USD) per month. This is considerably high for someone who didn't graduate from college. *I always find it interesting that it is the norm to openly talk about each other's salaries in China. People will freely ask strangers how much they make a month.
Back to AC. He tells me he's fascinated by Americans and especially the way they speak English. It sounds like they're singing. He also asks about US air conditioners: how they're installed, what brands are popular, what Chinese brands are familiar. AC thinks we're so cool because we're from America. He got very excited when we used our VISA card and asked to see it. He held it with both hands like it was precious jewels and carefully returned it to my hands. This type of delusional admiration of Americans is not so prevalent in Beijing anymore, but definitely typifies the behavior of city implants.
AC then tells me that many of his co-workers graduated from prestigious colleges in China. This is a recent trend in Beijing, similar to the US, where many college grads are going against the norm and are either pursuing non-traditional job industries, freelancing, or just bumming around playing video games. This is in part due to the rise in unemployment as well as the new wave of the youth generation who are questioning traditional blueprints and pioneering new paths and ideals.
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An similar phenomenon is happening with the youth in Japan, where they are call "hikikomori". In Japan it sounds more severe where some lock themselves in their rooms for months or years. If anyone is interested in the topic, read "Shutting Out the Sun" by Michael Zielenziger.
A sales position selling appliances, cars, motorcycles, or any high end luxury/leisure product is one of the highest income jobs possible for anyone lacking a formal education worldwide. A good sales pitch is a skillful art form almost like fencing. I wish i could hear AC's spiel!
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