This story reminds me of my experience. I immigrated from China at a young age, but the impression I got from my family is that even in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, people were almost universally poor. I remember my dad telling me that even if you had the money, buying a television or refrigerator required connections.
My father and mother both came from rural areas, where mud huts were not uncommon. Even in China, my dad didn't eat rice until he was in his teens. My father did extremely well on the national exams and managed to get into a university with most of his expenses paid by the socialist system at the time. After getting a PHD, he immigrated to the US with me.
Having visited China a few times with my family, I met some quite successful businessmen, all of whom have humble roots in poor countryside villages. Some of them didn't even graduate from elementary school, but due to connections with the government (the military for example), they managed to start businesses and acquire factories during the time of China's economic growth.
There are a lot of rag-to-riches stories in China, but at the same the time, the sheer size of the population means that there are even more stories of poverty. In my father's family, only he and one of his brothers out of a family of 6 or 7 managed to escape the rural area. Although life is getting better even in the rural areas, it seems there is a massive difference between the skyscrapers of Shanghai and a traditional farming village.
It would be very interesting to see the percent of these "rags-to-riches" events compared to the less-fortunate population of China.
It is quite amazing that your father's university was covered by the government, and in a logistical sense, good to see that they want to promote intellectual pursuits.
I am surprised no one is talking about "hukou" system? Heck, I didn't know that!
In India obviously we do not have anything like that, but there is a hint of resentment towards outside people who throng cities for jobs. North Indians were beaten up in Mumbai. You will hear faint sigh of a Bangalorean, how city has lost its culture and beauty. A Bank clerk in Chennai - for example can no longer afford auto rickshaw fair.
Learning about the hukou system disturbed me at first, but the longer I live in Beijing, the more I approve of the system in some form. There are too many people here. Live with Beijing's traffic for a couple of years, or push more people than you can imagine can fit into a crowded subway train. There are not enough resources to go around. How would you deal with it?
Help out a poor, ignorant American: what's a "social class"? One of the Gazillionaires mentions that "everyone in his social class" lost someone they knew in the Mumbai terrorist attack. In 25 words or less, what's a "social class"?
Oh come on, I know everyone in the US is judged by where they're going, not where they're from, but you do have the concept of working and middle classes right?
What's interesting in India is that you'll often find a slum right next to a super luxurious hotel like the Oberoi or the Taj. I've never been able to understand why squatting "sticks" there but not here (I've seen police trying to "clean up" the slums -- you'd think the violence would scare people away).
Yea, I noticed this as well. Probably because there is not much of a middle class. However, I have read cases and articles expecting their middle class to grow rapidly in the upcoming years.
So can we conclude that parts of Asia, primarily China and India, are experiencing what the US went through in the early-mid parts of the 20th century?
A development of the middle class and a wider gap between said middle class and the upper class?
[+] [-] contravert|15 years ago|reply
My father and mother both came from rural areas, where mud huts were not uncommon. Even in China, my dad didn't eat rice until he was in his teens. My father did extremely well on the national exams and managed to get into a university with most of his expenses paid by the socialist system at the time. After getting a PHD, he immigrated to the US with me.
Having visited China a few times with my family, I met some quite successful businessmen, all of whom have humble roots in poor countryside villages. Some of them didn't even graduate from elementary school, but due to connections with the government (the military for example), they managed to start businesses and acquire factories during the time of China's economic growth.
There are a lot of rag-to-riches stories in China, but at the same the time, the sheer size of the population means that there are even more stories of poverty. In my father's family, only he and one of his brothers out of a family of 6 or 7 managed to escape the rural area. Although life is getting better even in the rural areas, it seems there is a massive difference between the skyscrapers of Shanghai and a traditional farming village.
[+] [-] malnourish|15 years ago|reply
It is quite amazing that your father's university was covered by the government, and in a logistical sense, good to see that they want to promote intellectual pursuits.
Also, when you leave a country you emigrate :)
I hope you are living a good life!
[+] [-] theoneill|15 years ago|reply
What did he eat?
[+] [-] gnufied|15 years ago|reply
In India obviously we do not have anything like that, but there is a hint of resentment towards outside people who throng cities for jobs. North Indians were beaten up in Mumbai. You will hear faint sigh of a Bangalorean, how city has lost its culture and beauty. A Bank clerk in Chennai - for example can no longer afford auto rickshaw fair.
[+] [-] FraaJad|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] garply|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bediger|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] retube|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] RickHull|15 years ago|reply
Your social class is defined by the people you associate with, typically in terms of wealth and culture.
Some people do not have a well-defined social class. Others may associate only with financial and cultural elites, etc. etc.
[+] [-] gnufied|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] smysore|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gnufied|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] liftman|15 years ago|reply
[+] [-] malnourish|15 years ago|reply
A development of the middle class and a wider gap between said middle class and the upper class?
[+] [-] javanix|15 years ago|reply
I wasn't really expecting to read the word "gazillionaires" in an economist article. Has to mark some sort of a first for the publication.