The Constraints of Poverty and the Divided China
The key takeaway is this: a college girl who budgets 1,500 RMB per month for living expenses considers a guy with a 2,000 RMB monthly budget to be well-off (so what am I, with my 800 RMB?). Driven by her desire to spend, she started working as a hostess and felt very satisfied with the few hundred RMB she earned per gig, even though she knew it was inappropriate. Then she wanted to break up with her boyfriend and find a sugar daddy. That's basically the story. What makes it even more striking is that China's inequality index—like youth unemployment—stopped being published years ago. Recently, I saw a programmer's post in a group chat (or on a website) describing how he spent 3,000 RMB to keep a college girl on hand: 3,000 RMB a month, do whatever you want, no condoms, play for a few months, then have an abortion and move on to the next one. Usually it's another girl from the same campus or a factory worker—someone who hasn't seen much money and still believes in love. Now that making money has gotten harder, there are probably more guys like him out there.