With the changes of the times and the development of society, the material living standards in China's rural areas have improved significantly, but at the same time, a strong atmosphere of comparison is also quietly emerging, especially during important festivals such as the Spring Festival, this phenomenon is particularly prominent. Today, we will go deep into the field and record a real life picture of the current countryside with our camera, so that everyone can truly feel the intensity of this trend of comparison.
This place carries my strong local memories and is my native hometown. Whenever the Spring Festival is approaching, a large number of migrant workers have returned to their hometowns, especially the younger generation, who drive all kinds of luxury cars to their hometowns, and the picture of three or four cars parked in front of each house has become the norm, fully reflecting the improvement of rural economic conditions and the improvement of quality of life.
Today's rural landscape has long been renewed, and luxury villas have risen from the ground, mostly two- or three-storey western-style buildings, row upon row, showing their magnificence. During the New Year's holidays, the countryside is even more lively, and every household takes turns to set up banquets, and the style of setting up banquets prevails, as if a grand social event. The price to be paid for participating in these banquets - the money has also made many people complain, and during the Spring Festival alone, this expenditure often costs tens of thousands of yuan, which makes farmers feel a lot of pressure.
The culture of comparison in rural areas has penetrated into all aspects of life, and the clues can be seen from the most basic housing construction. Although many farmers have luxury villas that sit idle most of the year and are only inhabited during the Chinese New Year, they are still willing to take on the debt and strive to build villas that are in line with the trend of the times, because they know that in the countryside, if they still live in dilapidated old houses, they will inevitably become the laughing stock of their neighbors.
In terms of car purchases, the comparison wind is also fierce. Many young people, in order to satisfy their vanity, rent or take out a loan to buy a luxury car at any cost, so that they can show their "success" when they return to their hometowns. For example, one of my classmates, in order to attend a class reunion, chose to spend 5,000 yuan per month to rent a luxury car, you must know that his monthly income is only 4,000 yuan, which shows his extreme pursuit of superficial glamour.
On the issue of buying a house, the comparison mentality of rural people is also undoubtedly revealed. Even if the villas and mansions in the countryside are luxurious enough, there are still some people who rush to buy real estate in the city, even if the urban housing price is often in the millions, which is much higher than the cost of hundreds of thousands of yuan in the rural self-built villas. As a result, many rural households are burdened with heavy mortgage pressure, and some are even at risk of housing disconnection due to their inability to repay their loans.
Not only that, the comparison of rural young people in daily consumption is also becoming increasingly prominent, taking smoking as an example, they are keen to smoke expensive brand cigarettes, such as Hetianxia, 1916, etc., as high as 100 yuan per pack. Sadly, many of these young people who smoke high-end cigarettes do not have stable jobs, but only work as temporary workers or in factories, and they are willing to bear the high cost of living in order to show the so-called "rich" image in front of their fellow villagers.
To sum up, the phenomenon of rural comparison is becoming more and more intense, from housing, car purchase to daily consumption, everywhere. Although some young people in rural areas seem to have luxury cars, villas and high spending power, in reality, their economic situation is not necessarily well-off, but they may be driven by the psychology of comparison, and fall into the predicament of overconsumption and debt. Is there a similar situation in rural areas around the world? Everyone is welcome to interact and communicate in the comment area, and jointly pay attention to this social issue. The next issue will be more exciting, so stay tuned and see you soon!