Life and Travel in China

Today I talked to a Chinese supplier, he runs his own trading company. I told him that China was becoming more and more expensive. He confirmed that much of the world's production is being moved to India and other smaller East Asian countries, where workers' salaries are between $200 and $300 a month. In China right now, workers' salaries are usually around $500 or more. I told him not to laugh, but in Poland the salaries are similar to those in China. In fact, China is already surpassing us in many industries. While workers' work is still cheaper or similar, people in offices, services and tourism earn more than in Poland, and they often receive commissions and various types of bonuses for the effects of work. I know Chinese people whose boss rewarded them with a large subsidy for an apartment or a car. If a company/factory is prosperous and the owner appreciates employees who take excellent care of Western contractors, then he appreciates them in various ways. In Poland we can dream about this. I have the impression that Poland is a country of greater exploitation than China. China is developing, and ordinary citizens simply have more and more demands when it comes to wages. In Poland, many people have no requirements and are happy to have a job at all. Who do we owe this to?

There was no pension system in China, but special funds were established. This meant that, for example, in 2007 you had to pay approximately PLN 1,500. Of course, children and grandchildren working in the city were helpful here. After just a year, the elderly person received a monthly pension of approximately PLN 250. It seems like ridiculous money, but life in the countryside is cheap, and people still earn money by selling vegetables, farming, and breeding animals. After two years, these pensions increased twice, i.e. PLN 500 per month. Of course, there has been great exploitation of people in China for years, but isn't our Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) a similar exploitation? Can we have such a system where, for example, 5 years before retirement, I pay up to PLN 10,000 at a time (before that, I do not pay anything to ZUS) and I have a guaranteed pension of PLN 1,000 per month? Analogous to Chinese funds. As you can see, the Middle Kingdom has overtaken us in many issues, including pensions. Here, people pay tribute all their lives, are exploited and at the end they fight for some petty pensions. In China, the authorities are trying to provide people with a dignified old age as compensation.

A Chinese woman I know is expecting her second child. She decided that after giving birth she would go to a special center for mother and child care. For an approximately 40-day stay there, you will pay around PLN 60,000. The center provides assistance with child care, special food, room, exercises, massages and other entertainment, relaxation, etc. Well... we can only envy it. In Poland, the average mother pays PLN 1,000 for a baby, stays in her own home or with her parents and probably does not have enough money to provide herself with such comfort after giving birth. Another issue is that in this center there will be only the mother and the child, which means that the role of the father and the child's contact with the father are completely omitted. Of course, visits are allowed, but it's probably not 100% paternity. In China, the most important thing is that the father earns money. Who in Poland would come up with the idea of opening such a center and for such money? Where would they find customers? However, China is a rich country, and people get a bit crazy, because how can you spend PLN 60,000 for a 40-day stay in such a center? Wouldn't it be better to pay this money into a fund for this child? Buy him toys, books, save for his future education? Or just go on a trip or holiday with the whole family when the child is a little older?

As I observe, importers in Poland are looking for increasingly cheaper products, and some even give up importing from China, taking into account the current dollar exchange rate. The prices of many products in Poland are already really low, and Allegro offers are sometimes more attractive than those of Chinese producers, how is this possible? In Poland everything is possible. The problem is that ordinary people in Poland simply cannot afford expensive, luxury products. In China it is the opposite - more and more sophisticated products are imported, price does not matter - as long as they are available. More and more electronics are imported from the USA, Japan, gadgets, toys and even fancy food products. In addition to imports, Chinese traveling around the world bring more and more precious gifts, such as French perfumes, top-shelf whiskeys and cognacs, luxury trinkets, jewelry, watches, branded handbags... Very often I see Chinese people at airports and in duty-free shops looking for some unusual products, for many of them price does not really matter. They just can afford...

I guess I'm not that old yet, but I remember when about 10 years ago, brands such as Adidas, Nike and Puma were just entering the Chinese market. At that time, they were not yet so recognizable and ubiquitous, and the average Chinese was not fascinated by them. Back then, branded trousers cost around PLN 40-50, shoes PLN 80-100. Now everything has changed, because such stores are in every large and smaller city in China. Practically in every shopping center, next to hypermarkets. Prices are similar to ours, slightly different designs and smaller sizes. Shoes now cost PLN 150-400, trousers and T-shirts usually cost PLN 80-200. The advantage is that the Chinese customer can count on more promotions, discounts, returns, coupons and freebies. It is more developed in the Middle Kingdom, and the Chinese are used to the fact that the previous price was 800 RMB, and now there is a 60% discount. The concept of price reductions really appeals to them, although it is sad to say that they can afford more than the average Pole.