The Rich and Poor Second Generations_Stella_Guan_Final Ver.

8/2/2019 The Rich and Poor Second Generations_Stella_Guan_Final Ver.

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-rich-and-poor-second-generationsstellaguanfinal-ver 1/53

A Comparative Study of the Rich and Poor Second Generations in China

Chenjie Guan

HON 499

Dr. Charles Desnoyers

April 24, 2010



TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction««««««««««««««««««««««««««« 1

II. Problems of the Two Second Generations««««««««««««««. 1-19

III. Promising Stories of the Two Second Generations.««««««««««.. 19-29

IV. The Widening Gap and Rampant Materialism««««««««««««. 29-35

V. Society¶s Reaction««««««««««««««««««««««« 35-40

VI. Conclusion«««««««««««««««««««««««««««. 40



Abstract : During the past decade, and particularly the past few years, several groups of ³second

generations´ became hot social issues in China. Among these ³second generations,´ the ³rich

second generation´ and the ³poor second generation´ constitutes an interesting yet disturbing

contrast because the widening gap between them is a reflection of the uneven distribution of

wealth in contemporary China. This research study provided social and economical background

to the emergence of these two groups. By comparing the problems and promising stories of each

³second generation´ and responses from the government and society in general, the author

stated the impact of these two groups on contemporary Chinese society and predict future

development of the two groups of youth.



1

I. Introduction

As China welcomed the 30th anniversary of the implementation of former leader Deng

Xiaoping¶s ³Open and Reform´ policy in 1978, the country has become the third strongest

economic power in the world. In 2010, China boasted a GDP of $9.872 trillion, superseding

Japan as one of the economic superpower in the world.1

From the impoverished and self-

enclosed nation before Deng¶s reform to the economic superpower today, China has

demonstrated immense ability to grow and develop. However, underneath the surface of strong

economic growth, numerous disturbing social issues, particularly the widening gap between the

rich and the poor, casted shadows on China¶s booming economy.

II. Problems of the Two ³Second Generations´

In 1978, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping launched the so-called ³second revolution´

which included opening up China¶s market to the rest of the world. Deng described the market-

oriented reforms as ³Socialism with Chinese characteristics.´ After the death of Mao Zedong, the

central planning economic system appeared to be no longer viable.2 Deng Xiaoping¶s Open and

Reform policy provided a once-in-a-life-time opportunity for ambitious and adventurous

entrepreneurs to gather enormous amount of fortune in a short time. Deng¶s policy suddenly

opened up the previously non-existent domestic market. Canny entrepreneurs who took

advantage of this opportunity became rich almost overnight because they were the first to enter

the newly freed market previously heavily regulated by the planned economy. Perhaps all of this

1 CIA. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html.2 Goodman, David S. Deng Xiaoping and the Chinese Revolution a Political Biography. London: Routledge, 1994.



2

happened so quickly that many of those new millionaires were not prepared to properly deal with

their immense fortunes yet. Success convinced this new rich class to work harder to expand their

businesses and strengthen their powers. When they tried to balance work and family

responsibilities, many chose the former. China¶s one-child policy, which was introduced in 1978,

required each couple to have only one child. This policy complicated this problem even more.

Under the one-child policy, many children born during the 1980s and 1990s became ³little

emperors´ or ³little empresses´ in their families. When the parents of ³little emperors´ and ³little

empresses´ happened to be rich and busy at work, these children gradually became the ³spoiled

generation.´ As these children entered adolescence, serious problems began to emerge. Wanton

spending, indulgence, apathy, lack of responsibility, disrespect for social order etc. are common

phrases used to describe this so-called ³rich second generation.´ Particularly during the last few

years, disturbing behaviors of this young generation began to catch people¶s attention.

Generally speaking, the generation born in the 80s and 90s in China has experienced

enormous social and economic changes in society. As a country, China boasted a stunningly fast

economic growth rate. Culturally, unlike their parents who grew up in a less open society, the

younger generation was strongly influenced by new technologies, such as the Internet, and

foreign cultures. In such a rapidly changing society, it is easy to lose the direction of life if

everything comes too quickly and easily. Many ³rich second generation´ young people were

unfortunately caught up in this whirlwind.

As some of the ³rich second generation´ reached their adulthood, their obnoxious

behaviors became highly debated social issues. The year of 2010 is especially important because

several notorious incidents related to the ³rich second generation´ took place. One of the most

extensively reported incidents is the ³My Father is Li Gang´ case. The sentence ³My Father is Li



3

Gang´ instantly became a phrase of bitter sarcasm in Chinese among Internet users. It is ironic

how easy this incident could be summarized into one paragraph and yet its negative social

impact is hard to estimate.

On the evening of October 16, 2010, two young female college students in Hebei

University, Chen Xiaofeng and her roommate Zhang Jingjing, were roller-skating together along

the sidewalk. The two girls were heading toward a general meeting of the roller-skating society.

They would never have imagined that tragedy would happen just moments later. Behind their

back, a 22-year-old drunken driver drove his expensive black car up on the sidewalk with an

alarming speed. He hit the two students without even stopping. When security officials stopped

him, he was furious and stormed out of the car. He shouted: ³Sue me if you dare. My father is Li

Gang!´ On the sidewalk, the two girls were lying in a pool of blood and unconscious. Later, they

were carried over to the nearby hospital. Unfortunately, the 20-year-old Chen Xiaofeng was dead

by the next day and Zhang Jingjing was seriously injured. 3

The drunken driver was called Li Qiming, who is the son of the deputy police chief Li

Gang in Baoding City, Hebei Province. At the night of the accident, Li Qiming was drunk

driving and planning to pick up his girlfriend from her dormitory. After the accident, police

investigation reported that there were no skid marks although there were at least three speed

bumpers on the road. Fifty minutes after the accident, the police detected 151ug/100ml alcohol

rate in Li Qiming¶s blood sample. Witnesses reported that Li Qiming did not admit hitting the

two girls at first. Li was reported saying: ³How could I have hit somebody?´ 4

The death of Chen Xiaofeng hit her family hard. Chen¶s family members maintained their

livelihood by farming and working in the city. She has always been a good daughter of her

3 Ge, Weiying, and Ke Ai. ":³´ (Investigation of Hebei University Car Accident: The context "My Father is Li Gang"

is hard to trace back." Sina.com. <http://news.sina.com.cn/c/sd/2010-11-01/145121393186.shtml>. 4 Ibid.



4

parents. Her father said that she is not a smart girl, but she had always worked hard. Her older

brother, Chen Lin, told reporters that she had many dreams and goals for her future. In Chen

Xiaofeng¶s notebook, there were many resolutions and plans for her future. ³Double major, civil

servant, making friends, finding true love«´ These were some of the words found in her

notebook. Before the accident, Chen Xiaofeng had just started her freshman year at Hebei

University. Yet she was killed before she could realize any of her dreams. Her family could not

be consoled by society¶s condemnation toward Li Qiming¶s outrageously shameless behavior.

Her brother said: ³The media paid so much attention to Li Qiming and Li Gang. They urged the

Li family to publicly apologize on TV, but what about us? Did it ever occur to them how bad we

feel? I want to see the surveillance video and find more witnesses.´ 5

Meanwhile, Li Qiming¶s quote ³My Father is Li Gang´ became instantly famous across

the Internet. Out of context, Li Qiming¶s quote would not have made much sense. However,

when the whole nation was aware of the incident, his quote immediately became a catchphrase

for dodging responsibility with impunity.6 Li Qiming¶s father, Li Gang, became an Internet

celebrity because of his son¶s infamous quote. The quote also made Li Qiming more famous as

³the son of Li Gang´ rather than Li Qiming himself. After the accident, the media had been

focusing most of the spotlights on Li Qiming¶s accident and his father¶s identity. The public¶s

knowledge about Li Qiming was largely limited to the fact that his father is a senior police chief

in Baoding City and he was an arrogant and spoiled ³rich second generation.´ However, Li

5 "³´ (Heibei University Car Accident "My Father is Li Gang" Complete Story." ifeng.com.

<http://news.ifeng.com/society/wtpa/detail_2010_11/01/2966701_0.shtml>. 6 "My Father is Li Gang." The Irish Times, November 20, 2010. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/1120/1224283764952.html.



5

Qiming¶s best friend, Yuan Long, answered questions from reporters after the accidents and told

stories of Li Qiming unknown to the public.7

Yuan Long is also one of the ³rich second generation´ himself. After graduating from

high school, Yuan Long took over part of his family¶s business. Yuan told reporters that most of

Li Qiming¶s friends are from rich families. Compared to his friends from more prominent

families, Li Qiming didn¶t have much to boast about. Yuan Long described Li Qiming as being

³low-keyed´ among his circle of rich friends. At school, Yuan Long and Li Qiming were both

³problem students´ because they hardly ever studied. Yuan Long said that one of Li Qiming¶s

characteristics is his timidity. He described Li Qiming as the type of person who ³will run away

immediately as soon as something bad happens.´ Yuan Long said that although Li Qiming¶s

family is rich, he had never really had his own car. Li Qiming regularly borrowed different cars

from his sister, brother-in-law and friends. His father, Li Gang, had actually been a strict father at

times when Li Qiming indulged in nightclubs. His father once made him walk in the dark for two

hours as punishment for his indulgence. Before the accident, Li Qiming was an intern at a local

TV station in Baoding City and started to make money on his own. Yuan Long said that when he

received Li Qiming¶s called on the day of the accident, he had not expected to learn that his

friend has killed somebody. 8

Li Qiming was undoubtedly a bad example of the ³rich second generation´ in China. He

was not the only ³problem child´ on this generation, yet his case was significant because his

police official father made him a ³second generation of senior officials´ in addition to ³rich

second generation.´ These two generations often overlapped because they both have influential

and rich parents. In the case children of senior official, however, another controversial issues

7 "³´ (Heibei University Car Accident "My Father is Li Gang" Complete Story." ifeng.com.

<http://news.ifeng.com/society/wtpa/detail_2010_11/01/2966701_0.shtml>. 8 Ibid.



6

came up. Because of their administrative power, senior officials in China tend to use censorship

when bad incidents threaten their reputation. Although the ³Li Gang´ incident was highly

publicized, Chinese officials did not save any effort in controlling the spread of the news.

Some students at Hebei University expressed their discontent for the government¶s

attempt to suppress the news. ³There was a little on the school news channel at first,´ Wang, a

student of Hebei University, said in an interview. ³But then it went completely quiet. We¶re

really disappointed in the press for stopping coverage of this major news.´ However, the

popularity and powerfulness of the Internet made it almost impossible for the government to

cover up the story. In order to the control public opinions, the state media CCTV broadcasted an

interview with Li Qiming and his father Li Gang, who apologized for the accident. In

comparison, the victim¶s family was not afforded with equal access to the media. In early

November, Phoenix Satellite Television, a station based in Hong Kong, broadcasted an angry

interview with Chen Xiaofeng¶s brother, Chen Lin. On November 4, 2010, the Central

Propaganda Office banned further news of the interview. In Mainland China, human rights

activists An Weiwei did an interview with Chen Lin in early November 2010. In the interview,

Chen Lin expressed his anger toward the inequality in Chinese society. He said: ³In society they

say everyone is equal, but in every corner there is inequality.´ Chen Lin revealed that he and

other family members had rejected appeals to arrange a settlement. Unsurprisingly, the video of

this interview was uploaded to the Internet multiple times and deleted repeatedly by Internet

administrators. Chen Lin¶s lawyer, Zhang Kai, told reporters that Chen Lin called him and

thanked him for his efforts, but the family had settled the case with Li Gang¶s family. Half an

hour after the call, Chen Lin came to his Zhang¶s office and terminated their contract. Zhang Kai

said many cases involving the disputes between ordinary citizen and powerful people ended the



7

same way. He said: ³In current Chinese society, people put an emphasis on power more than on

individual liberty.´9 Zhang revealed that Chen¶s family had been under a lot of pressure since the

tragic accident happened. Various officials and people related to this incident had been

persuading the Chen¶s to stop going through court procedures. Finally, the Chen¶s surrendered

under pressure and chose to settle privately with Li Qiming¶s family. At night on December 14,

2010, Zhang Kai was attacked by a group of people, who stopped his car in the middle of a

major highway and attacked his car violently. Fortunately, Zhang managed to escaped and was

not injured. However, he said that he did not dare to return home the night after the attack.

Although he was not sure whether this attack was related to the ³Li Gang incident,´ he was

certain that whoever sent these attackers were powerful figures.10

On January 30, 2011, more than three months after the accident, Li Qiming pleaded

guilty to drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter. Li was sentenced to six years in jail. In

addition, Li was also ordered to pay the equivalent of $69,900 to Chen Xiaofeng¶s family and

$13,800 to the injured student¶s family. 11

Although the ³Li Gang incident´ seems to be over following Li Qiming¶s imprisonment,

Chinese netizens are less forgiving than the victim¶s family. Chinese netizens continued to

exploit the incident with bitter Internet sarcasm parades and competitions. At Tianya.cn, one of

the biggest portal sites in China, there are nearly a hundred pages of responses following the

original post that called for creative twists of Li Qiming¶s infamous quote. ³If God gives me

another chance, I will ask Li Gang to be my father for ten thousand years (

9 Wines, Michael. "China¶s Censors Misfire in Abuse-of-Power Case." The New York Times, November 17, 2010.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/world/asia/18li.html. 10 "³´ ." China Daily, November 17, 2010. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hqgj/jryw/2010-12-

20/content_1421181.html.11 "China hit-and-run driver sentenced to six years in jail." BBC News, January 30, 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-

12317756.



8

).´ ³I want to ask what law is, because you may not

know that my father is Li Gang ().´ Some netizens even

adapted Li Qiming¶s quote into classical Chinese poems to intensify the sarcasm. ³Don¶t worry

about your future. Your father is Li Gang ().´ 12

The Li Gang incident was a gateway to look at some of the disturbing problems among

the generation of young people with rich parents as well as sizzling conflicts between the

privileged class and ordinary citizens in China. In a certain sense, the Li Gang incident

epitomized the conflict and struggle between the rich and the poor, the privileged and oppressed

in contemporary Chinese society. The fast growth of economy not only improved the living

standards of ordinary Chinese citizens but also produced undesirable byproducts, such as a

spoiled second generation of the rich. The problematic bureaucratic system in China complicated

the problem by allowing high-ranking officials to scoop large amounts of fortunate from

taxpayers and cover up inglorious matters. It might be unfair to place all the blames on Li

Qiming. With a rich and powerful family background, everything has come far too easily for the

young adult. Eventually, Li Qiming paid a heavy price for his arrogance and recklessness. The Li

Gang incident represents the irresponsible and arrogant attitudes that are prevalent among the

rich second generation in China. This phenomenon indicates that being rich is not equal to being

well brought-up and well educated in China. Of course, there are also a significant proportion of

rich second generation who are very well educated and responsible. However, there is a trend

12 Tianya.com. http://www.tianya.cn/publicforum/content/free/1/2001408.shtml.



9

that incidents similar to the Li Gang incidents are happening more frequently as many rich

second generation youths are still immersed in self-indulgence and excessive spending.

Entrepreneurs on the south and southeast coast were not the only group of people who

made their moves following Deng¶s Open and Reform policy. Newly established businesses

created enormous amount of job opportunities in cities. As China joined the WTO in 2001,

thousands of factories specializing in manufacturing low-cost consumer goods sprung up along

coastal cities. In order to lower production costs and attract more foreign importers, these

factories minimized the cost of labor by recruiting more workers while paying each of them less.

Although the working environment of these factories were less than satisfying and the meager

wages workers received were barely enough for maintaining livelihood in cities, migrant workers

from rural areas were still willing to work for them, hoping that life would improve as they adapt

to city life. However, these farmer-turned-workers gradually realized that they would never be

able to live like people from cities with their minimal wages. And back home in the country,

there was no land for them to farm, either. Their urban dreams were thrashed and they were

plunged into dilemmas. They belong to neither world. On the one hand, they could not fit into

cities because their poverty and rural identities made them second-class citizens in cities. On the

other hand, they could not go back to the country partly because many of them already

abandoned their land and partly because returning to the country more or less signaled their

failure of finding better life. The cruel reality not only disheartened the once hopeful minds of

migrant workers but also carried over the misfortune to their children. In busy factories, it is

common for workers to work more than twelve hours a day. Endless hours of work discouraged

them to pay attention to anything else other than work. The plight of migrant workers made their

children the ³forgotten generation´ because they seldom received attention from their hard-



10

working parents. These ³forgotten children´ either stayed in the country with their grandparents

or followed their parents to cities. In either situation, most of them hardly ever communicate

with their parents. Ideally, children who followed their parents to live in cities would have better

access to education than those who remained in rural areas. However, the long-standing H ukou

policy in China yet again thwarted their dreams.

The Hukou system, which has been consistently enforced since the 1960s, is a household

registration system that classified Chinese citizens into two categories: urban (non-agricultural

household) and rural (agricultural household). Under the Hukou system, urban residents are

entitled to many state benefits and education resources that are unavailable to rural residents.

13

While urban residents have access to medical care, social welfare, housing and employment

benefits, rural residents have very little access to any of them no matter how long they have lived

and worked in cities.14 Under the two broad categories of urban and rural households, there are

subdivisions of Hukou according to the specific location of a household¶s residence. For example,

holders of a major city ( shi) Hukou are entitled to more state benefits than holders of a town

( zhen) Hukou. Because the central government finances these benefits, it has been very reluctant

to allow rural residents to transfer their rural Hukou to urban Hukou. Since 1984, the strict

control over rural to urban migration has been slightly relaxed with the introduction of ³self-

supplied grain household ( zi li kou liang hu)´ system. Farmers were allowed to settle in the

lowest level of urban hierarchy as long as they took care of their grains and homes. However,

long-distance migration farmers were not eligible for the benefit of this system. As urbanization

13 Woon, Y.F. "Labor Migration in the 1990s: Homeward Orientation of Migrants in the Pearl River Delta Region and Its Implications for

Interior China." Modern China. (1999): 475-512.

14 Rong, Jiaojiao. "Hukou 'an obstacle to market economy'." China Daily. May 21, 2007. <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-

05/21/content_876699.htm>.



11

accelerated and the flow of migrant workers increased, the central government introduced the

zan zhu zheng (temporary residents permit) system in 1985 to regulate the rural population in

urban areas and control increasing crime rates in cities. Rural migrants above the age of sixteen

intending to move to urban areas and live there for more than six months were required to obtain

temporary resident permits from public security bureaus ( gong an ju). Temporary residents

permit did not provide any benefits enjoyed by urban residents to rural migrants.15 One of the

most problematic limitations of rural Hukou is that children of migrant workers from rural areas

are not allowed to attend urban schools unless they pay extra tuitions. Hukou can be inherited or

earned, depending on one¶s situation or abilities. In most situations, children automatically

obtain the same category of Hukou as those of their parents. In order to change, or more

accurately, upgrade from rural Hukou to urban Hukou, one has to seek employment in

government agencies or private companies that are able to sponsor applications to change Hukou

status.16 However, it is becoming extremely difficult for aspiring young people with rural Hukou

to earn urban Hukou, even for the most talented among them. Major cities, particularly Beijing

and Shanghai, have implemented stringent policies regarding rural residents¶ eligibility to

upgrade their Hukou to urban ones. One migrant worker, Du Shujian, who had worked in Beijing

for more than 10 years, told reporters from China Daily that he could not obtain city Hukou and

enjoy any social or medical benefits during his 10 year stay in Beijing. In 2005, his wife even

had to go back to his hometown back in Shuangfeng Village, Anhui Province to give birth to

their daughters because they needed to obtain a birth certificate from where their Hukou was

registered. As an interior construction worker, Du said: ³I have decorated so many apartments

15 Woon, Y.F. "Labor Migration in the 1990s: Homeward Orientation of Migrants in the Pearl River Delta Region and Its Implications for

Interior China." Modern China. (1999): 475-512. 16 Li, Hong. "Hukou - longest stopgap policy in China." People's Daily . March 30, 2011.

<http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90780/91345/7335015.html>.



12

for Beijing citizens, but I don¶t know when I can have my own.´ In fact, he may never have one

because he would need a Beijing Hukou to buy an affordable house in Beijing.17 A new

discriminative house-buying policy that allows urban residents to buy two houses but only one

house for temporary residents from rural areas. 18

Since the 1960s, the Hukou system has been a way of social control in China, although it

was not originally designed for that purpose. Back in the 1960s, villagers in rural areas mainly

used Hukou to establish their identities and receive benefits from the state. For example, when

consumer goods were in short supply during the Mao Zedong¶s central planning era, residents of

both rural and urban areas had to produce their Hukou with information of place of residence,

number of people in their family etc. in order to receive their rationed quantity of goods.19

However, it is ironic that the Hukou system has diverged so much from its original purpose now

that it has become more of a sign of inequality than a way to provide benefits for all citizens.

"Hukou has played an important role as a basic data provider and for identification

registration in certain historical periods, but it has become neither scientific nor rational given

the irresistible trend of migration," Professor Duan Chengrong at Renmin University of China,

said.20 In recent years, there have been many calls for the government to reform the Hukou

system. Zhang Chewei, deputy director of the Research Institute of Population Science at the

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing said: "As migrant laborers have made their

contribution to urban development, they should also be given fair treatment when it comes to

social benefits and justice." Big cities like Beijing and Shanghai have experimented some ways

17 Rong, Jiaojiao. "Hukou 'an obstacle to market economy'." China Daily. May 21, 2007. <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-

05/21/content_876699.htm>. 18 Li, Hong. "Hukou - longest stopgap policy in China." People's Daily . March 30, 2011.

<http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90780/91345/7335015.html>. 19 Han, Dongpin. "The Hukou System and China's Rural Development." The Journal of Developing Areas. (1999): 355-378. 20 Rong, Jiaojiao. "Hukou 'an obstacle to market economy'." China Daily. May 21, 2007. <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-

05/21/content_876699.htm>.



13

to reform the system without much success. Shanghai introduced a ³point system´ which grants

urban Hukou to ³well-qualified´ migrant workers according to their financial assets and human

capital. Beijing decided to grant urban Hukou to migrant workers who had been selected as

³National Model Workers.´21 In reality, these stringent policies excluded most migrant workers

from even applying. Therefore, despite attempts to reform the Hukou system, it remains as a

major barricade that prevents rural migrant workers from adapting to city life. The limitation of

education access for children with rural Hukou presents a serious problem because these children

grow up in cities without adequate attention from parents and schools. When frustrations started

to build up in these young poor second generation¶s minds, some of them resorted to extreme

³solutions.´

In May 2010, three young ³poor second generation´ workers in their early 20s committed

suicide together, which shocked the whole nation and alarmed the society about the mental

problems of the ³forgotten generation´. All of these three young workers are children of migrant

workers working in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. They all dropped out of school early and

became migrant workers in the city just as their parents did. When they drank poison together at

the night of the planned suicide, neither of them thought they would be able to see this world

again. However, Ah You, one of the three young workers, survived this triple suicide

unexpectedly. The other two of his friends, Chen Jian and Xing Zi, were gone forever. After

escaping death, Ah You was not thankful for those who saved him. He refused to believe that he

would never see his best friends again. In his Internet profile, he wrote: ³How can I compare the

pain in my mind with the pain of my body?´ 22

21 Li, Hong. "Hukou - longest stopgap policy in China." People's Daily . March 30, 2011.

<http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90780/91345/7335015.html>. 22 "(Three New Generation Farmer-Workers in Taizhou Committe Suicide Together)." Ningbo Daily.

<http://daily.cnnb.com.cn/nbwb/html/2010-05/11/content_191171.htm>.



14

Ah You, Xing Zi and Chen Jian are three best friends. Just like many other young people,

they enjoy playing computer games and chatting on the Internet. On May 4, 2010, Ah You, Xing

Zi and Chen Jian decided to end their life together because none of them saw the hope of living

anymore. Ah You, who survived the suicide, told reporters: ³I didn¶t dare to do it on my own,

but with three of us, I have much more courage.´ Before they complete their ³final mission,´

they spent all the money they have and drank some beers to ³boost their courage.´ At first, they

decided to jump off from the top of a high building. In order to prevent any one of them from

quitting halfway, they even planned to tie their feet together. However, their first suicide attempt

was thwarted because the stairway to the rooftop was locked and they could not climb up to the

top. When they were almost about to give up, Xing Zi suddenly recalled that there was poison in

his house. Around 10pm that night, Xing Zi brought a bag full of Sodium Nitrite with him and

the three of them gathered in front of a lawn, preparing for their final reunion. They each took

their share of the NaNO2 and mix it with waters taken from a nearby public restroom. Ah You

later described that when they drank the liquid, they ³had no hesitation at all.´ After drinking the

poison, the three of them lied down at the lawn, peacefully ³waiting for death.´ After a while, the

poison started to take effect inside their body. The three of them were crawling in pain, but Ah

You remained conscious. When Ah You could not no longer stand the pain, he managed to call

the ambulance. Unfortunately, only Ah You survived this suicide attempt. 23

After the tragic death of Chen Jian and Xing Zi, Ah You was not able to pull himself back

to reality and showed signs of serious depression. On his online blog, he wrote: ³I really want to

do it [suicide] again. How could you two leave without me? Why is life so fragile?´ His mother

was reminded by psychiatrist to carefully watch over her son because he might attempt suicide

23 Ibid.



15

again. Ah You and his two friends Chen Jian and Xing Zi had very similar family backgrounds.

Ah You¶s father did not have stable jobs for many years. His family had been reliant upon the

meager wages his mother earned at work for many years. Xing Zi¶s parents make a living by

selling pork on the street. Chen Jian¶s father is a contractor for a small factory. Ah You started to

take part time job since 2007. He used to serve at local karaoke bars but got tired of the job soon.

Before the triple suicide, Ah You was working at a local hair salon. He worked as the apprentice

hairstylists and washed customers¶ hairs every day. After a while, the hair washing work became

such a chore that Ah You¶s initial enthusiasm toward hairstyling disappeared. On his blog, he

wrote: ³I felt one head is as big as two heads.´ He revealed that his hair salon had to serve at

least 500 customers every day and he alone had to wash 100 heads per day. Repetitive chores

and hard work did not earn him good money. He admitted that he had multiple quarrels with his

parents because of money. Whenever he argued with his father, he would be scolded at severely.

Yang Boquan, director of the psychiatry department in Taizhou Central Hospital told reporters

that the main problem for these children of migrant workers is the lack of communication with

their parents.24 Most migrant workers neglect emotional communication with their children

because their time is almost consumed by long hours of work day after day. Because of poverty

and lack of better education, many children of migrant workers are confronted with the harshness

of reality at much younger ages than their well-educated urban peers. These young ³poor second

generation´ are eager to fit into cities and get ³urban ID cards´ and enjoy the welfare and

medical benefits their parents could not yet enjoy. Yet the strict ³Hukou´ policy is still in effect,

blocking their dreams to become new urban residents. Unfortunately, most of their parents are

not even aware of their thoughts. When they no way to unleash their frustration, they often resort

24 Ibid.



16

to extreme means. The communication problem with parents is not only prevalent among

children who have followed their parents to cities but also children who stay in rural areas with

their grandparents. The problem is often more serious among the latter because they can hardly

see their parents during most of the year. Whether these children live with their parents in cities

or stay with their grandparents in the country, they all face the same dilemma. When their

parents abandoned lands before moving to cities, they no longer have the choice to become

farmers. In terms of education, few among them are able to compete with their urban peers

because they were deprived of opportunities to receive good quality education. The only choice

left for them is to following their parents¶ path and become ³second generation of migrant

workers´. Like their urban peers, these ³poor second generation´ young people also have dreams

and ambitions. However, the unequal distribution of educational resources in China became a

ruthless barricade to success. Guo Yuhua, a sociology professor at Tsing Hua University,

described these young people as ³the generation without roots.´ 25 Lu Huiming, another

sociology professor at Tsing Hua University said: ³Their suicide is not merely a reflection of

their own mental problems...they are eager to get rid of the ³farmer-worker´ title and get the

right they are entitled to receive in cities.´ On May 18, 2010, nine scholars from Peking

University, Tsing Hua University and some other universities released a letter to the public. In

the letter, they called for society¶s attention toward the problems of this new generation of

³farmer-workers.´ The letter pointed out their mental struggle: ³When they could not see the

hope of living a real city life through hard work, the meaning of their work vanish instantly.

There is no hope of future, and no way to go back. When they are in such a dilemma, they are

25 "390 ³´ (Three After 90s Generation Farmer-Workers Committed Suicide Together. "Poor Second Generation" Find

It Hard to Fit Into Cities)." Sohu.com. <http://news.sohu.com/20100521/n272248867.shtml>.



17

confused by their true identity...´ 26

Last year, Ah You left Taizhou and went to Shandong Province to work for a period of

time. Although he could not truly live like a local, he still developed bittersweet affection toward

the city of Taizhou. Before he left, he wrote these words on his blog: ³ I was standing on the

sidewalk, looking at the buildings along the street for the last time. I have bittersweet feelings

about this city. Everybody I see on the street looks like a relative of mine. I don¶t know if I will

ever set foot in this city that I have lived for many years once I left. I was determined not to cry

when I called my friends to say goodbye, but tears still fell down my cheeks. I¶ve had far too

many memories during 9 years in this city...´

27

The mental problems of second-generation farmer-workers are not

simply their personal issues. Although the e Hukouf system plays an

important role in forming the discriminative identification system toward rural

residents, it is unfeasible to abolish it completely at this stage. With more

than one billion population, China has reason to keep the flow of population in

reasonable control in order to prevent the overcrowding of big cities. The

e Hukouf system undoubtedly served this purpose. However, if the

government does not remove discriminative barriers that deprive second-

generation farmer workers of equal education opportunities, there will be

more similar tragedies in the future. Under the current system, this new

generation of farmer-workers is trapped in a seemingly unsolvable dilemma.

26 Ibid. 27 Ibid.



18

Many of these young people drop out of school during junior high or senior

high. Even if they manage to hang on until high school graduation, their levels

of education can hardly match with those of their urban peers. Without good

education, they have no choices but become manual laborers like their

parents. The huge and continuous flow of farmer-workers into cities

provides more than enough labor supplies for manufacturers. Factory owners

take advantage of this overabundance of laborers and lower minimum wages

again and again to save production costs. On the other hand, urban living

expenses in China have been skyrocketing during recent years due to

inflation. It doesnd t take long for these young second-generation farmer

workers to realize that no matter how hard they work in factories, they

can hardly afford to maintain basic livelihood. Meanwhile, their economic

frustrations are couple

with mental pressure from communication problems

with their parents, who are even less e

ucate

than they are. Many of

these parents resort to violence to e e

ucatef their chil

ren when

conversation fails. When e urban

reamf becomes e urban nightmare,f the

meaning of life gra

ually

isappear.

In or

er to solve the problems of secon

-generation farmer workers,

e

ucation system reform is the most necessary an

urgent measure. Without

equal e

ucation access, chil

ren of farmer-workers will continue to live on

the bottom of the social la

er forever. On the other han

, the government



19

should consider setting higher standards of minimal wages in accordance with

the rise of living expenses. In addition, poor working environment in factories

is another issue that directly or indirectly affects the physical and mental

health of farmer-workers. Systematic factory inspections might be

necessary to clean up hazardous working environments and ensure that the

economy will not develop at the expense of workersd health. Society as a

whole can also play an important role in helping young farmer-workers

rediscover the meaning and hope of life. Sometimes discriminative attitudes

from urban residents hurt more than the discriminative system against

farmer-workers. Many farmer workers expresse¡

the frustration that they

coul¡

never fit into urban society. Part of the reason is the¡

iscrimination

from urban resi¡

ents. Urban resi¡

ents, especially those who live in mega-

cities like Beijing an

¡

Shanghai, shoul

¡

bear in min

¡

that their cities are built

on the bloo¡

an¡

tears of millions of farmer-workers. In fact, many

in¡

ustries woul¡

not have survive¡

without the labor support of farmer-

workers. As the buil¡

ing block of urban economies, farmer-workers shoul¡

be grante¡

with equal access to e¡

ucation an¡

welfare resources

consi¡

ering their contribution to urban¡

evelopment. Partly because of the

unsatisfactory working environment in cities an¡

partly because some of the

newly-built factories are moving to the mi¡

-west, the east an¡

south east

coast began to encounter a shortage of laborers as more an¡

more



20

farmer-workers left their factories in search of better working

environments in the mid-west. Many factories started to panic at the

current labor shortage because they never foresee the possibility of losing

the once endless supply of labor. Perhaps this is a sign that the new

generation of farmer-workers is starting to realize that they cannot

continue the vicious cycle in big cities. Compared to their parents, these

young laborers are exposed to more information. Therefore, they are more

aware of the unfairness of their current living condition. On the other hand,

this sign hopefully will alert the Chinese government to take serious measure

to improve the working and living environment for farmer-workers who

continue to work in cities.

III. Promising Stories of the two e second generationsf

Undoubtedly, both the e rich second generationf and the e poor second

generationf grew up under many negative influences that could be

detrimental to their personal developments. For the e rich second generation,f

the wealth and power of their parents might be the cause that discourages

them to work hard and become responsible citizens. For the e poor second

generation,f the harshness of urban survival might force them to lose hope

in life. However, these negative factors do not necessarily play havoc with



21

the life of these young people. If these factors are directed appropriately,

they might be turn out to be the nutrition that fosters the better

development of these young e second generations.f

Wang Chenguang is a private business owner in Shandong Province. A

typical e rich first generation,f Wang successfully established his own

company and created a wealthy living environment for his son. Unlike many

e rich first generation,f Wang never overlooked the importance of

communicating with his son. As a e rich first generation,f he knew very well

that fortune does not come easily. For Wang, teaching children the correct

way to manage financial assets is very important whether the parents are

rich or poor. His viewpoint came from a well-known Chinese idiom e fu bu

guo san dai ,¢

which means¢

ortune will come and go within

three generations. No matter how much

¢

ortune the e rich

¢

irst generation

¢

possessed, their children and grandchildren will eventually squander the money

away i¢

they are not taught the right way to manage it. Wang was well

aware o¢

the importance o¢

¢

inancial education to his son. According to

Chinese tradition, adults have to give money stu¢ ¢

ed in e red pockets¢

(paper bag in red) to children as New Year gi¢

ts during the Chinese Lunar

New Year¢

estival. Like many other children, Wangd s son received huge

amount o¢

e red pocket¢

money every year¢

rom¢

riends and relatives.

Wang realized that this could be a good opportunity to teach his son how to



22

manage money. Therefore, Wang told his son that if he kept the e red

pocketf money as it is, it would still be the same amount at the end of

each year. However, if he agreed to put the money to Dadd s account, he

could receive 10% of interests at the end of the year. Wangd s son was

immediately lured by his offer and agreed to give his money to his father.

After Wangd s son signed a e contractf with him, Wangd s wife also joined

him to incite his sond s desire to earn more money. Wangd s wife told her

son that she could offer him 12% of interests if he agreed to transfer the

money from his fatherd s account to her account. Her son was tempted by

her offer at first, but he realized that he could not break his e contractf

with Dad. To Wangd s surprise, his son took out another 2000 Yuan from his

own little e private vaultf and signed another e contractf with his mother.

At the end of the year, Wang and his wife returned the money with their

promised interests to their son. 28

While the little boy is rejoicing his first financial earning, Wang and his

wife made an even more appealing proposal to their son. Wang told his son

that he could only receive a fixed 10% or 12% of interests from Mom an£

Da£

¤

v¤

ry y¤

ar. How¤

v¤

r, i¥

h¤

agr¤ ¤ £

to inv¤

st th¤

mon¤

y to Da£ £

s

company an£

b¤

com¤

a small¤

stock hol£ ¤

r,¥

h¤

coul£

g¤

t 20% or mor¤

28 Yang, Qingqing. " (It Is More Important For Children To Depend On Themselves)." Yangcheng Evening News . January

13, 2011.



23

interests according to the companyd s state of operation. Wang made the

risk of this investment clear to his son by letting him know that if the stock

prices of his company fall, the money could shrink to less than half of its

original value or lose its entire value at the worst occasion. His son was

very excited about this opportunity to make more money, but after careful

consideration he decided to invest half of his money to Dadd s company and

keep the other half in Mom¦

s account. Ever since Wang¦

s son ma¦

e the

investment, he starte¦

to pay close attention to the¦

ay-to-¦

ay operation

of Wang¦

s company. Whenever Wang came home from work, his son woul¦

always ask him if everything went well in the company. Sometimes Wang

woul¦

preten¦

that his company encountere¦

some major problems to make

his son nervous. 29

Wang

¦

s financial e

¦

ucation not only taught his son how to manage

money effectively but also showe¦

him that making money is not easy. As a

wealthy entrepreneur, Wang coul¦

affor¦

to buy many luxury items for his

son. However, unlike many e rich first generationf parents, Wang woul¦

not

buy things that are unnecessary for his son. His effort to e¦

ucate his son

about the value of money pai¦

off when he foun¦

that his son learne¦

to

haggle for better prices when he trie¦

to buy a swim ring. 30

29 Ibid. 30 Ibid.



24

Besides financial education, Wang also paid close attention to his sond s

social skill development. When Wang found that his son was not very willing

to talk to strangers, he decided to bring his son to his business dinners

whenever possible. Wang thought that social skill is vital to the future

success of his son whether he chooses to become a businessman or not. At

first, his son would blush whenever he was asked to give a toast to others.

Gradually, his son became more comfortable talking to people and introducing

himself. Wang was happy about the progress of his son because now he had

become a much more confident young man. 31

No matter how busy Wang was, he never missed the monthly e father

and son bathf with his son. Unlike many e rich first generationf parents,

Wang never let work take over his family life with his wife and son. Through

taking showers together with his son, Wang kept communicating with his son

and tried to be an attentive father who would always listened to his sond s

worries and frustrations. When his son received good grades from school,

Wang would always give him a little e award ceremonyf at home to

recognize his achievement. Wang thought that this kind of encouragement

could convey the love of Mom an§

Da§

to his son. 32

Although Wang ha§

th ̈

int ̈

ntion o©

¨ §

ucating his son to b ̈

a

31 Ibid. 32 Ibid.



25

businessman in the future, he emphasized repeatedly that it is more

important for his son to become a happy, healthy and responsible citizen

who can make a living on his own.33 When Wang described his expectation to

his son, he used the Chinese phrase e zhi shi qi li (), which

literally means eat ones own power. When placed context, this phrase

describes people who depend on their own ability to make a living. Perhaps

this is the quality most needed by the rich second generation.

Wang Chenguang

s successful story of e

ucating his e rich secon

generationf son reflecte

the positive si

e of having rich family backgroun

.

If the e rich first generationf parents are prepare

to

irect their chil

ren

to the right way, their wealth coul

actually become valuable assets to their

chil

ren. Early parental gui

ance is especially effective in helping their

chil

ren form positive personal values. Contrary to the arrogant an

lavish

spoile

-chil

type of stereotypical image, many e rich secon

generationf

young a

ults in China have become successful heirs to their family businesses.

Most o

th

s

young adults ar

w

ll

ducat

d and many o

th

m hav

th

xp

ri

nc

o

studying abroad. Yao Liang, a young and ambitious

ntr

pr

n

ur who is pr

paring to tak

ov

r his

ath

rd s busin

ss, is among

on

o

th

succ

ss

ul rich s

cond g

n

rations.

Yao Liangd s

ath

r is a typical

rich

irst g

n

ration.

During th

33 Ibid.



26

80s, Yao

s father establishe

his company. After more than 20 years, his

father

s company has been expan

e

to a powerful real estate, fashion

an

export tra

e conglomerate. With two ol

er sisters, Yao is the only son

of his parents. A very tra

itional Chinese man, Yao

s father insiste

that

his two

aughters only inherit the monetary property (stock, bon

, fun

,

cash etc.) of the family. As the only son in the family, Yao shoul

be the

sole heir to the family business. Since Yao was young, his father has been

telling him that e zi cheng fu ye ()f

is a Chinese tradition which he

firmly believed in. e Zi cheng fu yef , meaning son inheriting fatherd s

occupation, has given Yao the privilege to manage the multi-company

conglomerate in the future. However, he was well aware that if management

problems occur, his sisters would probably step in to interfere with company

operation. Like many wealthy families, Yaod s family will also face the

problem of property division once Yaod s father dies. In order to manage

the familyd s financial property more effectively, Yao hired several financial

management consultants to give him advices. One of the advices he took

was setting up the familyd s heritage trust. In the event of his fatherd s

death, the huge amount of family property could not easily be squandered by

any of his children because each of them would need to seek permission

from other trustees to use the money. 34

34 "80 The Life of Rich Businessmen Revealed: The Financial Management of The Post 80s "Rich Second



27

Although Yao respects his father very much, he wants to take his

father

s company to a

ifferent

irection once he becomes the CEO. When

Yao finishe

his stu

y abroa

, he came back to China an

worke

for a

Japanese company for 2 years before entering his father

s company. In

2007, Yao establishe

a small investment firm with his frien

s. After initial

success, Yao

evelope

an interest in financial investment. Although he ha

not officially taken over his father

s business yet, he alrea

y ha

two

major

evelopment goals for the company in min

. The first goal is to

improve employee benefits to attract more talente

potential employees. The

secon

goal is to begin in

ustrial restructuring an

iversify the business

spectrum of the company. Eventually, Yao hopes to make the company go

public. Yao

s father began his business as a manufacturer in the early 80s.

After 30 years of operation, the main focus of the company is still on

manufacturing. Yao thought that the fierce competition among tra

itional

manufacturing in

ustries is the most important cause of the company

s

shrinking benefits. In or

er to maximize the company

s benefits, Yao pointe

out that

iversifying business areas an

restructuring in

ustry sectors woul

be the right way for the company to go in the future. 35

Although Yao Liang has an ambitious business plan for the company he is

Generation")." ezjsr.com(. <http://biz.zjol.com.cn/05biz/system/2010/01/17/016243885.shtml>.35 Ibid.



28

about to inherit, he does not plan to spend his whole life continuing his

fatherd s career. Personally, Yao is more interested in art history and art

appreciation. However, he felt that he should take the responsibility to

ensure a successful power transfer of his fatherd s company before

returning to his real interest. If he realizes his goal to make the company go

public, Yao plans to hire professional managers to manage the company

directly and continue to develop his interest in art.36

As a e rich second generation,f Yao Liang

s lifeis not without failure.

In 2008, hehiredtwo investment managers andinvested60,000,000

(approximately $ 9,209,516) in the stock market. However, his lost his total

investment in the market due to his inexperience and the managersd

misjudgment.37 It may seem to ordinary people that he couldaffordto lose

money because he hadplenty of monetary support from his rich father. Yet

he couldnot have become the successful businessman he is today without

these failures. It is hardto say whether Yao couldachieve the same level of

success without his affluent family background. However, his story of

success showedthat the erich secondgenerationf couldbecome

responsibleandsuccessful contributors to society with proper parental

guidanceandtheir own effort. Money andpower might betheculprit that

36 Ibid. 37 Ibid.



29

lures rich young people to indulge in hedonistic lifestyle. Yet they could also

be turned into an advantage that could be utilized to speed up the process

of achieving success. Regardless of oneds fortune andfamily background,

the ultimate creator of happiness wouldalways be oneself rather than

oneds parents.

Similarly, Chinads problematic Hukou system that discriminates against

farmer-workers andtheir children does not necessarily cut off their road

to success. One of the most popular andeffective ways for the epoor

secondgenerationf to changetheir fateis to start their own business.

Unlikethe erich secondgeneration,f thebiggest barrier for the epoor

secondgenerationf to start new businesses is thelack offinancial

resources. Most epoor secondgenerationf young peoplenever realizethe

possibility to start their own businesses andpossibly changetheir fate

becausethey arealready too preoccupiedwith thehardship oflife. However,

those epoor secondgenerationf who havecreativeminds can also succeed

without abundant financial resources. Li Pengjun, a typical epoor second

generation,f is such a creativeyoung man who madea fortuneby raising

donkeys in southern China.

Likemany epoor secondgenerationf young people, Li Pengjun was

born to farmer parents in Yu Su Village, Da HeCounty in Hubei Province. Li

may beluckier than someofthepoorer children becausehis parents



30

managed to pay for his tuition until he graduated from college. In 2008, Li

graduated from Huangshi Institute of Technology as an English education

major. With a bachelords degree from an average regional college, Li could

expect himself to get a teaching position in a small elementary school and

receive about 2000 (approximately $ 306) a month. During his internship in

Dong Guan, an affluent costal city in Guangdong Province, Li learned that a

wage of 2000 a month could barely sustain the livelihood of his family. Li

knew how hard his parents had to work on the farm in order to support him

through college. With all the education he received, he did not want to end

up struggling to survive in cities.38

During his internship in Dong Guan, Li Pengjun went out to dinner with

friends. One of his friends ordered donkey meat from the menu. This dish

was labeled 108 (approximately $16), which is considerably expensive

compared to the prices of other dishes. This occasional dine-out experience

inspired Li to discover hidden business opportunities. Li found that most

donkey meat in Dong Guan was transported from northern China because

very few farmers raise donkeys in southern China. Li immediately decided to

step into this new market and raise donkeys in southern China. He borrowed

38 ": (Li Pengjun: The College Student Who Wanted to Change His Fate By Raising Donkeys)."

Changjiang Daily. <http://cjmp.cnhan.com/cjrb/html/2010-07/17/content_3652146.htm>.



31

100,000 (approximately $15,349) from the family of his girlfriend, who

became his wife later. With the first one hundred thousand Yuan as

investment, Li traveled to Gan Su Province to purchase 31 donkeys.

Unfortunately, three donkeys died on his way back to the South. Before he

reached the donkey farm, another seven donkeys died. The big snowstorm

that struck southern China in 2008 took away the lives of several more

donkeys. The nightmare did not end with the death of multiple donkeys.

Apparently, Li overestimated the enthusiasm toward donkey meat in the

South. He had a hard time selling his donkeys to locals. At the end, Li had to

sell the donkeys with minimal prices, which put a heavy toll on him. Before he

wrapped up the first year as a small business owner, Li Pengjun already had

more than 200000 (approximately $30,698) of debt.39

Lids parents were very upset about his failedbusiness venture. His

parents didnot expect him to ereturnf to the farm with his hard-earn

college degree. His father comparedhim with his older brother, who was

receiving very goodincome from a company in Shenzhen, Guangdong. In order

to changehis mind, his father even offeredto pay back his debt becausehe

believedin ezi zhai fu huan (), which means the father should pay

back his sons debt.40

39 Ibid. 40 Ibid.



32

Needless to say, Li Pengjun was under immense pressure to give up his

first ever business venture. While he was searching for a solution, his wife

was inspired by a TV program and came up an idea. She contacted the

producer of the TV program and asked them if they wanted to cover Lids

donkey farm. Luckily, the producer was very interestedandsoon sent

several cameramen to Lids donkey farm. The influence of mass media

exceededthe expectation of Li. After the program that featuredLids

farm was aired, clients from Huangshi calle

dLi an

daske

dhim to sen

dsome

of his donkey meat. This immediate response encouragedLi to contact more

media outlets, including other TV stations andnewspapers, to ask for media

coverage. Lids media tactics workedvery well because more donkey meat

vendors contactedLi for meat supply immediately after seeing his farm on

TV. Li even signeda contract with a restaurant as its regular meat supplier.

Li said: eNow I dondt haveto go through any procedurewhen I sell meat

herein Huangshi because every client recognizes me.f 41

This hugesuccess convincedLi that heshouldopen his own donkey

meat restaurant. However, money becamethebiggest barrier again. Banks

refusedhis mortgageloan application becausehe didnot own real estate

property. TheLabor andEmployment Bureau, which provides loans with no

interest to qualifiedindividuals, also refusedhis application becausehe did

41 Ibid.



33

not have a guarantor who received government wages. Without money, Lids

plan to open his restaurant remainedto be a dream. Li hopedthat the mass

media wouldhelp him findpossible funders as it hadhelpedhim findhis first

client a few years ago.42 Although Li didnot realize his long-term dream yet,

he already changedhis fate as a epoor secondgenerationf andheis on

his way to becomea erich first generationf in the future. It remains to be

seen whether hecan actually realizehis dream, yet his story toldthe

epoor secondgenerationf that harsh living environment does not

automatically lock all doors to success. However, it takes a bit of

adventurous mindset andcreativity to unlock the door. For thosewho are

willing to try, thekey to the door ofsuccess might besitting somewhere

near.

Kenji Wu, a famous Taiwanesesinger-songwriter, saidin oneofhis

interviews that ifwearenot oneofthe erich secondgeneration,f we

couldalways becomeour own erich first generation.f Herecalledthat his

mother always saidthat heshouldebai shou qi jia () which

literally means building up fortune with two bare hands.43 In Chinese culture,

people who ebai shou qi jia,f namely thosewho made fortunewith their

own abilities, arewell respected becausethey arethought to have

42 Ibid. 43 Wang, Hao. "³´ ³´ (If Your Are Not "Rich Second Generation," Become Your Own "Rich First Generation.")."

163.com (. <http://ent.163.com/10/1123/07/6M5KJOD100032DGD.html>.



34

exceptional personal qualities. It is not always possible for everyone to

estart from scratchf and makea fortune, yet it remains a possibleway

for epoor second generationf young peopleto moveaway from thebottom

ofsociety and createa different life.

IV. TheWidening Gap and Rampant Materialism

Thehugedifferencebetween the erich second generationf and the

epoor second generationf is moreor less a reflection ofa disturbing trend

in Chinesesociety. Ofcourse, not everyonein China fits into thesetwo

generations. As a socialist country, China does not havetheconcept of

emiddleclass.f Themajority oftheChinesepopulation belongs to theso-

called eincomeclass (),f which could be compared with the

Western emiddleclassf in thecontext of Chinesesociety. Members of the

eincomeclassf might not beableto empathizewith the experiences and

thefeelings of therich and poor second generations. However, even

ordinary Chinesecitizens began to feel thestress of thewidening gap

between therich and thepoor. This gap is not only theconflict between

thesetwo special esecond generationsf but also a society wideproblem in

China and many other developing countries.



35

In two separate online surveys in 2010 conducted by People's Daily, the widening gap

between rich and poor was ranked as one of the most pressing social issues. Forty-four percent of

respondents said that the government should address the issue of ³increasing income gap and

social division.´ 44

"Is China wealthy? It might be. But after the financial crisis, the rich people in China are

even richer, while the poor are poorer. Only the rich live a happy life, not the poor," one

respondent said. People's Daily reported that China's gini coefficient, an index that measures

inequality, is 0.47, which is near the level of social instability. The rapid growth of economy did

not bring more happiness to Chinese people. The distribution of wealth became even more

unequal. By 2009, the richest 10 percent of Chinese controlled 45 percent of the wealth, while

the poorest 10 percent controlled just 1.4 percent.45

Dai Zhiyong, a columnist for Southern Weekend newspaper, wrote: "In education,

recruitment, employment and various other sectors, the pattern of power-retention by the

powerful is solidifying, yet the rights of the lower classes often suffer encroachment. The

hardening of the hierarchy is right before our eyes. The channel of upward mobility for the lower

classes is narrowing by the day."46

The Chinese government is also aware of this issue. The central government has

proposed policies such as improving the minimum wage system and ensuring that wages are paid

in a timely manner. In addition, the government tried to increase farmers' salaries and improve

social insurance in both the cities and rural areas.

44 Moxley, Mitch. "Class War in the New China." Aljazeera.net.

<http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/12/20101213115018746714.html>. 45 Ibid. 46 Ibid.



36

In March 2010, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao addressed the issue during a speech at the

Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Wen admitted that the benefits of China¶s economic

development need to be distributed more fairly. As part of the plan, the government will reform

the Hukou system so that migrant workers living in urban areas are able to receive more social

benefits. Wen said: "We will not only make the 'pie' of social wealth bigger by developing the

economy, but also distribute it well," Wen said. "[We will] resolutely reverse the widening

income gap."47

The Chinese government¶s awareness of the issue and the resolution it made to improve the

current situation is a positive sign. However, it usually takes a long time for government

initiatives to take effect. Moreover, there are doubts whether policies proposed by the Chinese

government will be strong enough to slow the expansion of the gap between the rich and the

poor.

Amid the growing gap is a disturbing rise of materialism in Chinese

society. During Mao Zedongds era, China usedto boast itself as a

eclassless society.f As China openeditselfto theworldfollowing Deng

Xiaopingds eOpen andReform,f Chinesepeoplestartedto realizethe

importancemoney. The development ofcapitalism andmarket economy in

China not only brought wealth to thecountry but also instilledmoney-

worshipping attitudeto thecountryds young generation. In recent years,

notorious incidents involving theobnoxious behaviors ofthe erich second

generation,f sometimes also calledthe eprivilegedclass,f convincedmore

47 Ibid.



37

young people that money and power are the most important things in life.

In 2010, a 22-year-old music student called Ma Nuo attracted the

attention of the whole nation by making espicyf remarks during a popular

dating show eFei Cheng Wu Rao (IfYou AretheOne).f Themost quoted

and debated remark ofher is: eIddrather cry in a BMW than smileat the

back ofmy boyfriendds bicycle.f Her boldremarks immediately incited

heateddebates andattacks on theInternet. Chinesenetizens labeledMa as

ethemost vicious material girl in history.f48 Thecontroversial Ma madethe

TV show instantly famous across thecountry. Although dating show has

been airedfor over two decades, the format has changedlittlesince

recently. Wang Gang, the producer of the show If You Are the One said: ³In the old shows,

people just introduced themselves, and there was little mutual choice. Our style is new, and the

mass audience has got bored of singing and dancing programs."

49

There is little doubt that TV

producers felt the need to ³spice up´ their programs and introduce more confrontational and

controversial figures like Ma Nuo to attract more audience interests. Of course, the show¶s

popularity could not be solely attributed to Ma Nuo¶s appearance. If China¶s ³one child´ policy

has effectively reduced the growth rate of the country¶s population, it also worsened the already

unbalanced male and female ratio of the population. Traditionally, Chinese families prefer sons

to daughters. It is hard to say whether this type of mindset still exist in some families, but the

³one child policy´ left families with fewer choices. Considering current figures, the number of

48 Qin, Zhongwei. "TV's 'material' girl shrugs off fuss." http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-06/10/content_9958715.htm. June 10, 2010. 49 MacLeod, Calum. "China smitten by TV dating." USA Today. May 18, 2010. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-05-17-china-

dating_N.htm>.



38

male in the population is slightly more than the number of female. Thus, theoretically speaking,

women have more choices when it comes to finding partners for life. In contrast, the situation for

man looks not as optimistic. The reality is, more and more young people in China are finding it

hard to meet their life partners. TV dating shows, undoubtedly, provided an alternative way for

young men and women to meet. Therefore, the popularity of TV dating shows could also be

explained by the need of changing social trends.

In the face of high program ratings, whatever reasons that attracted audience to watch the

program seem less important. Despite all the attacks from netizens, Ma was not abashed at what

she said during the show. She said: "I was just saying something for fun. It is not serious«I just

didn't like the guy. And I happened to remember the sentence that I had come across some time

ago. But it doesn't mean I am that type of girl." As a Beijing girl, Ma said that her personality is

similar to that of other Beijing girls, who are usually more straightforward and outspoken than

southern Chinese girls. Although Ma did not feel bashful about her money-worshipping attitudes,

she thought that her desire for money is not excessive. She said: "As long as we have some

money to satisfy basic needs and have fun, that will be enough." Ma¶s vicious remarks were

effective in creating buzz in the society and inciting people¶s disparagement toward materialism.

However, many netizens pointed out that Ma Nuo¶s money-worshipping attitudes represented the

attitudes of many young women in China today. Instead of true love, these young women only

look for money and power when choosing husbands. Others disagreed and said that her attitudes

do not represent Chinese mainstream society and that was the reason she was singled out.50

After appearing in If You Are the One, Ma Nuo received many invitations from other TV

stations. However, Chinese authorities felt the sensitivity of the issue and ordered TV stations to

50 Qin, Zhongwei. "TV's 'material' girl shrugs off fuss." http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-06/10/content_9958715.htm. June 10, 2010.



39

stop inviting Ma as their guests. As a result, Anhui Satellite TV, the station that signed a contract

with Ma to appear on 10 episodes of Z houriwozuida (³Sunday Best´) had to terminate the

contract because of pressure from authorities.51 Apparently, Chinese authorities felt the need to

stop the dangerous growth of materialism in China. However, it may not be a long-term solution

to forbid ³material girls´ like Ma Nuo to appear on certain programs. Strengthening social

welfare reforms and improving the education system might help to alleviate

some citizensd anxiety towardmoney. Ultimately, the popularity of

materialism reflects the unhealthy role money plays in society peopleds

uncertainty about the future. Social welfare system reforms couldhelp to

restore peopleds confidence about the future by giving them more secured

financial prospect. On the other hand, reforms in the education system need

to be done in order to direct students to form more positive personal

values.

At the present stage, the clash between the erich second

generationf andthe epoor secondgenerationf is still fierceand

materialism might remain to beprevalent in Chinesesociety for an extended

timein the future. Ironically, theLi Gang incident again wouldmakea good

exampleoftheconflict between thetwo generations, each at one extreme

endofthesocial ladder. Li Gangds son, Li Qiming, obviously represents the

erich andprivilegedclassf at thetop ofthesocial ladder. Chen Xiaofeng,

51 Cheng, Jia. "Ma Nuo, popular and single, is too hot for television programs ." Global Times. <http://life.globaltimes.cn/entertainment/2010-

06/540006.html>.



40

the girl who died at the accident, represented the epoor and powerless

classf at thebottom end of thesocial ladder. When thesetwo eclassesf

cameinto conflict, thetop class won easily simply becauseof its money and

power. In theLi Gang case, Li Gang and his son was thewinner though Li

Qiming was sentenced to six years in prison. If thefamily of Chen Xiaofeng

had not received pressurefrom local authorities and Li Gangds family, they

couldhavepursueda moreaggressivelawsuit against Li Qiming, who could

havereceivedmoreseveresentence. However, Chen Xiaofengds family

eventually bowedto thepressureof the eprivilegedclassf andaccepted

monetary compensation from Li Qimingds family. Li Qiming lost his freedom

andpaida pricefor his crimewhileChen Xiaofengds family received

compensation from Li. On thesurface, Li Qiming may seem likea loser and

Chen Xiaofengds family may seem likea winner. Yet Li Qiming was the

ultimatewinner of this battlebecauseheandhis family exercisedthepower

their possessedto put thesituation in their control.

China is at a stageof rapideconomic development andsocial change.

Widegap between therich andpoor is common among developing countries.

This gap may continueto widen in thefuture. However, it is the

governmentds responsibility to address this problem andimplement economic

andsocial policies to balancethe distribution of wealth. Thegap between



41

the rich and the poor will always exist in any society. Yet the government

should be mindful of excessive gap because it could cause social instability.

V. Societyds Reaction

The reason to name the children of the affluent andpowerful class as

the erich secondgenerationf andthechildren ofthepoor and

underprivilegedclass as the epoor secondgenerationf is becauseboth of

thesetwo esecondgenerationsf sharecommon traits among their own

group. Nevertheless, theboundary ofthe erich andpoor generationsf is

wide enough to includemany sub-groups that may or may not sharethe

stereotypical images ofthesetwo esecondgenerations.f For example, the

erich secondgenerationf may includethe eeliteclassf, who areusually

well educatedandwell awareoftheimportanceofproper financial

management. Andthe epoor secondgenerationf may includethosewho lived

their wholelifeas farmers in thecountrysideandreceivedless than $1 per

day. Therefore, weshouldbemindful ofusing stereotypical views to see

thesetwo esecondgenerations.f In fact, many erich andpoor second

generationsf feel uncomfortableabout societyds views towardthem.

Wang Zhi is oneofthe erich secondgenerationsf who feel indignant

about societyds stereotypical views towardhis group. Wangds father is



42

the CEO of a successful advertising firm in Chengyang, Qing Dao. Like many

erich first generationf parents, Wangds father expected him to bethe

heir to his business. At first, Wang was interested in taking over his

fatherd s company and becomehis own CEO. However, helost interest in

managing his fatherd s company soon becausehis father demanded that he

estart from thebottomf to familiarizehimselfwith thedaily operations of

the firm. Wang thought that it was a wasteoftimeand hewould rather do

an internship in a scienceresearch company in Beijing. Wang admitted that

his father was very disappointed, but hewould rather do something heis

interested in. Wang wanted to proveto his father that hecould also be

successful on his own. During his junior year at college, heinvested

500,000 (approximately $76,734) from his father to a risk investment fund.

Unfortunately, helost all his investment in less than 6 months. Wangd s

father was furious at his irresponsibleinvestment ventureand refused to

givehim further financial support in the future. However, Wang was still

determined to havehis own career rather than living under theshelter ofhis

father. Hesaid: eI know that I madea rash decision and disappointed my

father, but I haveno interest in taking over his company. Id d rather work

herein Beijing.f Sometimes, the erich second generationf might have

underestimated thedifficulty ofsuccess. Although someofthem wanted to

leavethecomfortableshelter oftheir rich parents and createa world of



43

their own, many of them do not have enough real life experiences to support

their ambitious plans. Compared with the erich first generation,f the erich

second generationf aremoreinnovativeand adventurous. They have

different views with their parents and are eager for change. However, some

ofthe erich first generationf pointed out that it is dangerous to bring

changewithout thesupport ofpractical experiences. Given thecomfortable

environment they grew up in, it is understandablethat many erich second

generationf could romanticizeand simplify thereal world. However, the

determination to leavetheshelter oftheir parents among someofthem

provides another perspectiveat the imageofthe erich second generation.f

On theother hand, someofthem admit that they despitetheir strong will

to succeed on their own, they would not beableto completely get rid of

their parentsd support. Gao Chao, a successful wine dealer who is also a

erich secondgenerationf, said: eI got most ofmy wineclients from my

parentsd connections. I only madesuccessful deals with a few new clients.

This business depends a lot on network andconnection. IfI didn't know

anyone, I wouldhavespent far moretime developing my client databaseaI

also wantedto get new clients on my own, but I haveto admit that I

wouldn't be as successful without thehelp ofmy family. Comparedwith



44

ordinary young people, we may have more resources. The thing we should do

is to utilize these resources properlyaf52

Like the erich second generation,f someof the epoor second

generationf feel that society has shed too much negativelight on their

situation. Cai Yingjie, who is a ³poor second generation, said: "Although we are the poor

second generation, we are young, highly-educated citizens. We should have a rational attitude

toward ugly and unfair social phenomena. Why should we be pitied?´ Cai has graduated from

college and he is accumulating funds with his friends to start a company. He added: ³If the poor

second generation wants to lead better lives, we should surely strive to become the industrious

second generation. In this respect, we need public understanding instead of sympathy«I hate to

see pitiful expressions in the eyes of others.´ 53

The problems of the ³rich and poor second generations´ attracted so much attention from

the Chinese society that the Chinese government felt the urgency to tackle this issue. In 2009,

theprovincial government of Jiangsu Provincelaunched an education program

specially targeting the erich second generation,f who they termed eheirs

to private enterprises.f TheJiangsu government planned to educatesome

of thehopeful erich second generationsf by giving them political classes,

moral educations and business management classes in various ecommunist

party schools.f However, not every erich second generationf is eligibleto

52 " (The Story of A Rich Second Generation: I Don't Want to Depend On My Father. I'd Rather Be A Beijing

Wanderer) ." Ningbo University Yongchao Net (.

<http://student.nbu.edu.cn/ycIdeology/showNews.aspx?columnID=1021&newsID=26967>. 53 "China's 'poor second generation' needs no sympathy." People's Daily . April 21, 2010.

<http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/6958778.html>.



45

attend these education programs. Eligible applicants should be under 40 years

of age, college educated entrepreneurs who are the designated heirs to

large private enterprises. Through these education programs, the Jiangsu

government hoped to improve the management abilities of these future CEOs

as well as strengthen their support for the communist partyds policies.54

In the private sector, classes specially designedfor the erich second

generationf arealso gaining popularity. Oneinstitutethat offers these

types ofclasses includedcurriculums such as golfcourses, management skill

classes, andtheso-calledeRed-ideologyf classes, in which students are

requiredto visit Maoist sites. The founder oftheinstitutesaid: eThey must

consider the benefits to society, or they cannot keep developing.´ David Goodman, a Chinese

political science professor at the University of Sydney, said: ³China is a bipolar society. Whilst

people like reading or watching TV about the lives of the rich and famous, they look down on

people who've made money.´ The popularity of these training courses among the parents of the

³rich second generation´ shows that some of the rich in China are desperate to gain respectability

and restore their negative images in the society. Briton Alex Newman, a lecturer in international

business at Nottingham University Business School in Ningbo, Zhejiang, said that there is a

saying in the West that "the first generation builds the business, the second makes it a success

and the third wrecks it." But in China, "it is happening in the second generation.´55 Apparently,

the faster development of negative qualities on their children alarmed some of the ³rich first

54 Lv , Zongshu. " (Jiangsu Province Plans to Train Thousands of Private Business Entrepreneurs Through Communist

Party Schools)." Sina.com (). <http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2009-08-18/030516138653s.shtml>. 55 "Classes for wealthy second generation growing in China." China Daily. July 19, 2010. <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2010-

07/19/content_10125339.htm>.



46

generation.´ Therefore, they wanted to stop the dangerous trend by sending their children to

receive these moral and business education classes.

Compared to classes provided by private institutes, the Jiangsu provincial government¶s

initiative to educate the ³rich second generation´ received largely negative reviews from the

public. One power blogger Zhu Guocheng from Sohu.com, one of the biggest portal sites in

China, questioned the effectiveness of these education programs. He wrote: ³There are huge

differences among different private enterprises. It is not effective to group their future leaders

together and teach them the same thing«´56

Another blogger, Wei Yingjie, pointed out that educating the ³rich second generation´ is

not the government¶s job. He compared the government¶s role in addressing the ³rich second

generation´ issue with its role in a market economy. In a market economy, the government

should not interfere with the fluctuation of the market. Likewise, the government should not

directly participate in educating the ³rich second generation.´ Wei argued that there are already

plenty of similar education programs run by private institutes on the market. What¶s more, most

government training programs usually have private business partners anyway. Therefore, the

government should leave the education programs for private businesses to operate. He pointed

out that some of the training programs offered by the government were far too expensive. He

suspected that they were only showcases created by the government to increase its revenue.

Although the ³rich second generation´ would not have a problem affording tuitions, these

education programs might not be the most cost effective way to increase their knowledge.57

56 "³´ (Netizens Have Different Opinions Toward Governts' Classes For The "Rich Second Generations.")." Pyxww.com

(. <http://www.dhpyw.cn/Article/jdwt/200908/16138.html>.57 Wei, Yingjie. "³´ (It Is Not The Government's Job To Train "Rich Second Generations.")." My1510.cn.

<http://www.my1510.cn/article.php?id=586e38896713b4a8>.



47

One of the biggest accusations is that the government neglected the education of the

³poor second generation´ while focusing too much on educating the ³rich second generation.´

One blogger named ³Xu Xu Di Feng´ wrote that the government is far behind in addressing the

concerns of the ³poor second generation.´ He urged the government to relax the regulation of the

Hukou system. He pointe out that if the problems of the ³poor second generation´ are not solved,

there will be no point in educating the ³rich second generation´ because the gap between these

two generations would not stop expanding.58

VI. Conclusion

The society¶s negative reviews suggest that government sponsored education programs

might not be an effective way to solve the problems of the ³rich and poor second generations.´ It

is a good sign that the government has realized the urgency of the issue. Instead of doing

³surface work,´ the government needs to delve deeper into the roots of the problem. For now,

improving the Chinese education system to make it more ³student-friendly´ might be a good way

to start. The growing number of migrant workers in urban areas make the issue of the ³poor

second generation´ more urgent than the issue of the ³rich second generation.´ If the ³poor

second generation fails to catch up, the gap between the rich and the poor would only increase

over time. For the ³rich second generation,´ the education from their parents seems more

effective than government sponsor programs. It is unlikely to make all of them act as normal

citizens, but educating them to be more responsible citizens would be an attainable goal.

It is likely that the gap between the ³rich second generation and the poor second

generation´ will continue to widen in the near future because Chinese society is still at a stage of

58 "³´ (Netizens Have Different Opinions Toward Governts' Classes For The "Rich Second Generations.")." Pyxww.com

(. <http://www.dhpyw.cn/Article/jdwt/200908/16138.html>.



48

constant changes. The conflict between these two generations is also a reflection of some of the

conflicts within the larger Chinese society. Nevertheless, the Chinese government has an

important role to play in improving the social environment, correcting problems in social

institutions and ultimately creating a less hazardous society for these young people to live in.

Bibliography

CIA. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html.

Goodman, David S. Deng Xiaoping and the Chinese Revolution a Political Biography. London:Routledge, 1994.

Han, Dongpin. "The Hukou System and China's Rural Development." The Journal of Developing Areas. (1999): 355-378.

Woon, Y.-F. "Labor Migration in the 1990s: Homeward Orientation of Migrants in the PearlRiver Delta Region and Its Implications for Interior China." Modern China 25.4 (1999):475-512.

Wines, Michael. "China¶s Censors Misfire in Abuse-of-Power Case." The New York Times,

November 17, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/world/asia/18li.html.

"My Father is Li Gang." The Irish Times, November 20, 2010.http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/1120/1224283764952.html.

Wang, Huazhong. "Drunken Driver Boasts Father Is a Police Official." China Daily. 20 Oct.2010. Web. <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-10/20/content_11431705.htm>.

Shi, Jianping. "

««." Shanghai Youth. 21 June 2010. Web.

<http://www.why.com.cn/epublish/other/mtjd/userobject7ai161821.asp?id=357>.

"390 ³´ (Three After 90s Generation Farmer-Workers Committed

Suicide Together. "Poor Second Generation" Find It Hard to Fit Into Cities)." Sohu.com.<http://news.sohu.com/20100521/n272248867.shtml>.

Yang, Qingqing. " (It Is More Important For Children To Depend On

Themselves)." Yangcheng Evening News . January 13, 2011.



49

"80 The Life of Rich Businessmen Revealed: The FinancialManagement of The Post 80s "Rich Second Generation")." ezjsr.com(.

<http://biz.zjol.com.cn/05biz/system/2010/01/17/016243885.shtml>.

": (Li Pengjun: The College Student Who Wanted to

Change His Fate By Raising Donkeys)." Changjiang Daily .<http://cjmp.cnhan.com/cjrb/html/2010-07/17/content_3652146.htm>.

Moxley, Mitch. "Class War in the New China." Aljazeera.net.<http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/12/20101213115018746714.html>.

" (The Story of A Rich Second Generation: I Don't Want to DependOn My Father. I'd Rather Be A Beijing Wanderer) ." Ningbo University Yongchao Net(.<http://student.nbu.edu.cn/ycIdeology/showNews.aspx?columnID=1021&newsID=26967>.

"China's 'poor second generation' needs no sympathy." People's Daily. April 21, 2010.<http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/6958778.html>.

Qin, Zhongwei. "TV's 'material' girl shrugs off fuss." http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-

06/10/content_9958715.htm. June 10, 2010.

"Classes for wealthy second generation growing in China." China Daily. July 19, 2010.<http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2010-07/19/content_10125339.htm>.

MacLeod, Calum. "China's Rich Worry Their Heirs Will Squander Fortunes -

USATODAY.com." USATODAY.com. 15 July 2010. Web. 03 Mar. 2011.<http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2010-07-15-chinarich15_ST_N.htm>.

"³´ (Netizens Have Different Opinions Toward Governts' Classes For The

"Rich Second Generations.")." Pyxww.com (.<http://www.dhpyw.cn/Article/jdwt/200908/16138.html>.

"³´ (Heibei University Car Accident "My Father is Li Gang" CompleteStory." ifeng.com.<http://news.ifeng.com/society/wtpa/detail_2010_11/01/2966701_0.shtml>.

Ge, Weiying, and Ke Ai. ":³´ (Investigation of Hebei University Car Accident: The context "My Father is Li Gang" is hard to trace back." Sina.com.<http://news.sina.com.cn/c/sd/2010-11-01/145121393186.shtml>.

"³´." China Daily, November 17, 2010.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hqgj/jryw/2010-12-20/content_1421181.html.



50

"China hit-and-run driver sentenced to six years in jail." BBC News, January 30, 2011.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12317756.

"(Three New Generation Farmer-Workers in Taizhou Committe Suicide

Together)." Ningbo Daily. <http://daily.cnnb.com.cn/nbwb/html/2010-

05/11/content_191171.htm>.

Wang, Hao. "³´ ³´ (If Your Are Not "Rich Second Generation,"

Become Your Own "Rich First Generation.")." 163.com (.<http://ent.163.com/10/1123/07/6M5KJOD100032DGD.html>.

MacLeod, Calum. "China smitten by TV dating." USA Today. May 18, 2010.<http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-05-17-china-dating_N.htm>.

Cheng, Jia. "Ma Nuo, popular and single, is too hot for television programs ." Global Times.<http://life.globaltimes.cn/entertainment/2010-06/540006.html>.

Lv , Zongshu. "(Jiangsu Province Plans to Train Thousands of Private

Business Entrepreneurs Through Communist Party Schools)." Sina.com ().<http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2009-08-18/030516138653s.shtml>.

Wei, Yingjie. "³´ (It Is Not The Government's Job To Train "Rich Second

Generations.")." My1510.cn.<http://www.my1510.cn/article.php?id=586e38896713b4a8>.

The Rich and Poor Second Generations_Stella_Guan_Final Ver.

Documents

Transcript of The Rich and Poor Second Generations_Stella_Guan_Final Ver.