The Chinese 45farmers working hard on the land despite slumping returns,
the floating population struggling to send home earnings to
give their children a better life, the xiagang looking to the state
they once depended on as a source of authority (even as they
prowl labour markets for odd jobs to feed their children), the
‘new workers’ striving to pull themselves and their family
up the social ladder, all attest to a host of traditional values
permeating Chinese society that centre on family, work
ethics, education and hopes for a better future.
Psychologically and economically, China today is in some
ways a perfect illustration of the psychologist Abraham
Maslow’s famed ‘hierarchy of needs’. Among the poorest,
survival is paramount. China’s subsistence farmers, xiagang
day-labourers and floating population urban hunter-gatherers
mostly want clean water to drink, shelter to keep them warm
and dry, enough food to avoid starvation, a bit of secure
income, and perhaps the ability to see a doctor if they get
sick. In Maslow’s terms, they spend their days at the bottom
of the pyramid, dealing with physical survival and personal
safety and security. These groups tend to buy as little as
possible, and most of that unprocessed staples.
Although their country has changed greatly in the past few decades, many
Chinese continue to observe traditional values and customs.