Foreigners’ biggest misunderstanding: Is every Chinese poor?

A:

This is super true. Explaining the emergence of a Chinese middle class seems to boggle the minds of most everyone I meet over thirty five for some reason.

非常对。不知为何，每次跟我碰到的35岁以上的人解释中国也有中产阶级的时候， 他们都是难以置信。 

B:

Yes, although explaininghte contrary, that China is getting richer, but that there is still a lot of poverty in spite of the shiny buildings is also ard to explain.
对的，但是从反过来说也是如此。譬如跟他们说尽管中国正在变得富强，但富丽堂皇的建筑只是表象，还是有很多人很穷-这种说法也很难说服人。

A:

Of course. However, the misconception I'm addressing is that 99% of China lives in proverbial grass huts. People in the 'All Chinese are really poor' camp are unaware of the Chinese middle class and the idea that people who whose annual earnings would put them below the poverty line in the first world can live reasonably comfortable lives in places like China.
当然。然而，我所强调的对中国的误解之一就是百分之九十九的中国人住在茅草屋里。处在“中国人都很穷”阵营的人是不会意识到中国中产阶级的存在，他们也不会想到会有年收入低于第一世界贫困线的中国人同样也能获得体面舒适。

C:

It really depends on your expectations.
我觉得（定义）贫困与否跟自身的生活预期有很大关系。

I think 78,000元 ($12k) per year is easily enough to live comfortably – even in Beijing – assuming you refrain from buying useless crap, live outside the downtown hotspots, use public transportation and limit yourself to eating out no more than twice per week.
我觉得年收入78000元（12000美元/年）就能活的很舒服，就算是在北京也是如此-不要老是“买买买”， 别在市中心租房，搭乘公共交通工具，每周尽量只出去吃两次的话。

When I said this to a friend on the subway, a Chinese bystander jumped up to say I was crazy, and that it takes at least 200,000元 to be comfortable.
但是当我在地铁上跟我朋友讨论这个的时候，在旁聆听的一个中国人打断我说我是个疯子。他认为想要在北京活得舒服一年得至少赚够20万元。

I could see that … if your lifestyle requires that you buy an overpriced condo you will never pay off, drive a car that will never get you anywhere thanks to the dense traffic, feed your baby on the most expensive imported formulas, and to mask your lack of confidence under layers of Prada and LV accessories.
我能理解他的说法， 如果你的生活品味是购买你永远不能偿清的高级公寓，购买一辆因为堵车那也去不了的好车，用最昂贵的进口奶粉来喂养小孩，用普拉达和LV来掩饰你毫无自信的内在的话。

D:

It indeed depends on expectations. 78,000/yr means 6500/month and a single person can live quite happily for that amount of money. But, there are complications: 1. Health care fee; 2. Housing.
确实跟个人生活期望相关。78000一年意味着月薪有6500. 如果仅仅是一个人话，能活得很滋润。但是也会有麻烦，例如医疗费用跟租房。

C:

Health care is covered by state insurance if you are working here legally. You just have to meet your annual co-pay, which I believe is currently around 2,500 yuan.
如果在中国合法工作的话，工资的医保会覆盖掉你的医疗费用支出。你每年只要支付大约2500元钱的自付就好。

Yes, housing is expensive. But if you are single, it's not hard to find a roommate or two, slashing the cost in half or by a third. That takes it down to 1,500 yuan per month if you are willing to commute to work by public transportation instead of live near the expat/bar district.
是的，房租很贵。但是如果你是单身的话，找一个两个室友并不是很难的事情，这样就能平摊或者三分你的费用。这样可能你每个月只要支付1500块的房租即可，如果你接受不住在外国人聚集区而选择通过公共交通来通勤的话。

E:

I saw a great quote from a guest on Charlie Rose: basically, he said that the growing megacities are very modern and a visitor to them is going to feel as though they are in New York, London, or Tokyo; but once you go to the countryside you're going to feel like you're in Africa. "The government wants the world to think that China is really prospering, so they focus all their money on building up their cities. Meanwhile, and on a related note, millions of people still languish unseen in poverty."

Charlie Rose秀（注：美国著名脱口秀）的一位嘉宾曾说过一句话我觉得很有道理：新兴的大型城市是非常现代化的，如果你拜访这些都市的话，你会觉得你到了纽约，伦敦或者东京。但是如果你拜访边远的乡村的话，你又会觉得来到了非洲。 “中国政府希望外界看到的是欣欣向荣的中国，因此他们把所有的钱都用在城市建设上。与此同时，需要强调的是，成千上万的人仍旧在无尽的贫困中逡巡不前。”

F:

It's more complicated than that. Face is part of it, but Chinese growth is all about urbanization and it's normal that the cities are prospering way more than the countryside, that's what urbanization is all about. You can't just bring 1.3 billion out of abject poverty in a decade, it takes a while and some parts are getting richer than others. I don't really think you can blame the government for this one.

 事情没那么简单。外观仅仅是一部分，但中国发展的过程本就是中国城市化的过程，所以中国城市比乡村繁荣发达 有什么奇怪的？城市化本就该这样。你不可能在一个十年内就把整整13亿人全部脱离贫困。这需要时间而且必然会有部分人比另一部分人更富裕。我觉得你凭这个去批评中国政府毫无道理。