Live to work or work to live

Job seekers hand in their resumes at a job fair in Hangzhou on Tuesday, March 17, 2015. A newly released report said graduates from domestic colleges are being favored over those who studied overseas. Hu Yuanyong / For China Daily

Americans can move anywhere in the United States we want to, without being restricted by the household registration program or hukou that exists in China. The average American moves 16 times in a lifetime. I've lived and worked in many different places, sometimes in different countries. I've moved maybe 20 times in my life, not always by choice. My home is wherever I am, not where my parents are. I've been self-employed most of my life and chose to retire early.

Working full-time left me no time to do much else, and that was no longer acceptable to me. Life should be about more than just work!! Luckily, I have no debts and no dependents. And I believe people should spend within their means and avoid conspicuous consumption. Unlike many people, I don't much like shopping. Chinese people have a hard time understanding that, I know.

Most Chinese work very hard and I don't think most enjoy their work much. Whatever their work, they have very little time off. Even though salaries are rising, so are expenses. Most Chinese marry young, quickly have children, and may never pay off the debts they take on for getting married, buying housing, cars, etc. Then they must worry about raising a child and taking care of their parents. Of course, people in other countries also face these challenges. But the pressure to marry and procreate is greater in China than any other place I've been to. My mother used to badger me about this long ago, but I made sure to live far, far away from my parents since I left for college at 17, and eventually she gave up bothering me about it. In the US, many people remain single and choose not to have children. No one should be forced to have children, especially if one can't afford to. Many Americans are unemployed, just as many other people around the world are. We've got lots of problems of our own here. But American incomes are higher, and the inflation rate is also much lower than in China. Housing prices aren't rising as fast, and it's ok to marry without owning a house. If we were a less mobile society, it might be different.

Americans earn vacation time in addition to national holidays. There are many places we can choose to go, and our population is much smaller, so vacations in the US are much more flexible. We don't all go to the same places at the same time as people in China do. I found travelling during national holidays in China too awful. I stopped doing it. I'm accustomed to going to scenic places where there aren't many people, and that is almost impossible in China during holidays. I could never get used to the crowds. I once visited a park where there were thousands of other people. It was horrible. There was trash everywhere and only one small restroom facility. It was woefully inadequate and made no sense. When the population is so huge, better planning, preparation, and maintenance of facilities are absolutely essential - and not only in big city areas frequented by foreigners. Other domestic sites are deserving of attention, too.

Chinese people get used to crowds. But some get uncomfortable in places where there are only a few people around. Some people even say they fear there might be ghosts. In some American cities, it's more likely you'd be mugged. And not by ghosts.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and don't represent views of China Daily website.

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