Justice & Fairness

A few days ago--during the Dragon Boat Festival, a three-day-off traditional Chinese festival--I went to a print store near my dorm to print some study materials.

The campus is emptier than usual because almost every local student came home. It was the hottest time of this city(i.e. Tianjin, China), and it was the hottest time of the day when I went to print. The women alone was in the store. Nothing but the old fan is making noise, and no air condition is installed there for economical reasons. After printing my stuff, I had a short chat with the 31-year-old Chinese women.

She is from Hunan, a province in the middle of China. She and her hunsdand are running two print stores in my university--one(i.e. her husband) on the campus another(i.e. herself) outside but near the campus. I'd love to present some numbers to show you their condition.

4000 RMB-->rent per month for the on-campus store
1000 RMB-->rent per month for the off-campus store
4000 or so RMB-->net profit in good months of a year(two store combined)
2500 or so RMB-->net profit in bad months of a year(two store combined)
LESS THAN 10 square meters-->on-campus store(It has originally only one floor, but they separated it into two floors by putting a board in the middle so that they and her husdand's father can sleep on the second floor. In hot days, they put a mat on the first floor to sleep on so that they won't be easily waken up by hotness.)
3 children-->They have three children in their hometown--a small village in Hunan. The oldest child is 10 years old and the youngest 4.
MORE THAN 3000 RMB-->10 years ago, the women worked as labor in the south of China and she earned more than 3000 RMB per month alone. But because of the pressure in the factory, she left there and began her own business with her husband 4 years ago. She told me that although she earns less than before but she is more free and more pressure-free.

Her husband's father is here to cook for them, because they cannot leave the store even for a single minute. They always sleep later than 1:00 in the morning and get up before 6:00 in the morning.

Every time I see her father-in-law sitting on the dirty stair full of tiredness, I thought of my grandfather, an old man in a poor countryside of a poor village in south west of China.

I cannot imagine how they three and their children can live with only 2500~4000RMB revenue per month. Admittedly and unquestionably, a large percentage of the population China is even livng under their level.

Sitting in my bright and cool room, I feel veeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrry lucky and I feel shamed of those who live a sufficient live and don't cherish whatever they possess. They need to know there exist a group of people who are still struggling at the edge of society.

Yes. It's not fair. Everyone is born equal. Why do you live in the villa and others in the street corner just because of your father is richer than others'? Why are you admitted by a good company and others denied while you perform no better than them? Why do you score higher than others while you spend much less time studying than them? Why do CEOs earn thousands of times the salary of the owner of the print store while they sleep much more and work much less hard than her? It is unfairness.

Anyway, it's sad to know the truth. There is no 100% fair even in western countries and China is not the poorest country in the world, but justice and fairness are needy in China.

I don't mean to criticize China, but I have to point out the truth and what I see. In fact, this is not only the problem of China but more of the world.

"I don't agree with you, but I will protect your right to speak."