How much money do you think it takes be a white-collar employee?
The answer depends on where he or she lives; and the difference can be substantial.
It could be as high as 18,500 yuan per month in Hong Kong and a mere 900 yuan in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. About 5,000 yuan makes the cut in Beijing.
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, or CASS, released its findings over the weekend in the 2007 White-collar Workers Salary Standard in Major Chinese Cities. It is the first of its kind.
The benchmarks in some major cities at the upper end are: 8,900 yuan ($1,194) in Macao, 5,350 yuan ($717) in Shanghai, 5,280 yuan ($708) in Shenzhen of Guangdong Province, 4,980 yuan ($668) in Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province and 4,750 yuan ($637) in Guangzhou of Guangdong Province.
The report was based on a comprehensive calculation of local factors including commodity prices, living expenses, transportation costs, and urbanization level.
But for some people, the income levels are just an academic exercise.
Liu Meiyu is a 28-year-old architect who works for Beijing Design and Research Institute and bought a two-bedroom apartment a few months ago with bank loans. She said, "The 5,000-yuan standard is vastly different for people who have to pay monthly mortgages and for those who don't."
"A monthly salary of 10,000 yuan ($1,341) might be just right for a white-collar benchmark," she told China Daily.
Lhasa's low figure has also raised some doubts.
"The 900-yuan level is far too low as the cost of living is not low at all," said Lei Wenzheng, a local tourist guide.
A manager at a local department store in Lhasa can earn an average of 2,000 to 3,000 yuan ($402) a month. Public servants are also paid higher there than those in eastern provinces as the central government provides extra subsidies, according to Lei.
Xia Xueluan, a professor in social sciences of Peking University, said income alone is not the determining factor.
"White-collar' or 'middle-class' categorizations means a combination of factors including wealth, power and prestige, not simply income or property, Xia said.
Questions:
1.According to the report, how much does someone have to make in Hong Kong in order to be classified as white collar?
2.How much does someone have to make in Lhasa to be white collar?
3.A department store manager in Lhasa can make an average of how much?
Answers:
1.18,500 yuan per month.
2.900 yuan per month.
3.2,000 to 3,000 yuan per month.
（英语点津 Celene 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Jonathan Stewart is a media and journalism expert from the United States with four years of experience as a writer and instructor. He accepted a foreign expert position with chinadaily.com.cn in June 2007 following the completion of his Master of Arts degree in International Relations and Comparative Politics.
