7,000-10,000

Pretty simplified question. What counts as middle class in China? Education? Salary? Position? And how much of the population falls in this range?

I think that figure is outdated. It's now 2008. Needs some revision to about 16,000/month.

Holy sh*t, talk about no consensus. We have a range of 4,000-45,000?!?

I think it is correct to define "middle class", as there is no set criteria and it will differ from country to country. That being said I don't think 25-45k is true, just because top Chinese execs get 120-200k doesn't mean you can extrapolate the whole pay scale. Those positions are comparatively few. The 25-45k pay range would be the higher end of Middle Class in the US, and no way is China at that level.

Go ask a head hunter. A friend of mine is one.

Middle class in China is senior management. The salary packages are around 25-45K per month.

Foreigners don't work for 25-45K back home or anywhere else for that fact. Unless they are working for themselves.

An average foreigner salary is probably around 60-100K per month.

A manager responsible for hundreds of staff and national or regional operations (hell even scores of staff) is not going to work for 16K a month. And no one would want a 16K a month worker doing that job as well.

:-s

Personally I wouldn't think senior management would be middle class, maybe thats just me.

And 25-45k (rmb/month) equals USD42,900-$79,000. I am not saying that is what the pay would be in the US for senior management, I am saying that would be middle/upper-middle class salary. So, by this definition you are saying that middle class salary here for a local is the same as middle class salary in the US, no?

Skipinbj actually made the point, what is middle class in China and who defines it. Bank clerk, secretary, doctor, gas station attendant, flight attendant, engineer?????

Too many variables and regional differences in China. I believe an engineer in Beijing earns more than one in Shanxi, same university background and qualification given.

Define the same as elsewhere. Car or two, house, savings, relatively little to no debt and live year to year and not month to month.

Middle class is also being able to live life without worrying about the cost of anything - except major purchases like houses, cars, extended luxury holidays...etc....

I wouldn't say having a car makes you a member of the middle class in the developed world, and even many poor farmers in China have their own house, middle class and even really rich people may be in large debt, even larger proportionally than their poorer counterparts.

I have heard that having a University level education makes you automatically a member of the middle class though. If this is so, the average wage for middle class in China would be much lower than many are proffessing.

In any case, I don't think there is a hard definition of what middle class is, it will be seen as different from people to people. But my understanding is that it refers to more the line of work and background the person of the person than how much they earn. White collar workers, could generally be seen a middle class, blue collar is working class. In the West a blue collar worker may even earn more than some white collar workers. Where does this leave your definitions? Upper class, is more than just being rich, you have to have a family background, and the right connections, you have to be part of the elite in society. Winning the 30 million ticket in lotto doesn't make me become upper clas over night.

accurate. 100% agreed.

That's more like it if we can take the "no debt" part out.

Poeple in Beijing in the above category would either need a combined household income of above 15k per month, with about 7-10 years into their career, or 10k per month and close to their retirement age (both have enough saving and easily afford houses).

Those people account for 25% of total population in Beijing I guess.

Bank clerks are not middle class. They are *working class*. The mean monthly income in Beijing is about 2600 yuan permonth. If a couple make that kind average salary they are definditely *not* middle class family.

Whoever has a steady job (more than 4-5 years) and makes more than 25k/mo is in the rich class.

Also note that state employees, officials, and business owners have invisible non-taxed perks (housing, medicare, luxury holidays ...) that are difficult to count.

most of you pigs don't know the meaning of middle class; you must be Americans.

A doctor is middle class? give me a break. And Univ grads typically getting more than 10K? what a laugh. 5K or less is more like it.

Your blog is crap. And what you write is so retarded and virtually useless for the Chinese market.

You should retire and let your two-year-old sister take over the blog. She certainly couldn't do any worse than you.

The Chinese government defined as middle class any person who had assets in excess of the equivalent of US$ 34,000. I have no idea where they got that figure from.