Hot on the Web

Homecoming on holiday, only if affordable

By Zuo Likun (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-02-09 15:24

Can't wait to rush home for the Spring Festival? A recent poll revealed 41.1% people dare not go home at all due to the event being a costly ordeal for their meager salary, the China Youth Daily reported. And they christen themselves "the home dodgers".

A confession letter on Tianya.com by an anonymous son to his rural father attracted nearly ten thousand responses, echoing their own dodgers' dilemma.

The hard-up college son dwelled on his reluctant lies behind his scarce phone call home, delayed remittance to parents and most distressing of all, the fabricated extra work as an excuse for no homecoming. He didn't want to let his parents know the 3,000 yuan (US$440) salary he purported was actually a third of it, even less than that of his builder father in his hometown.

Presentable gifts for the family, endless lavish feasts and prohibitive travel expenses are the top three black holes on their purses, according to the newspaper poll co-conducted with Sohu.com last week.

A breakdown list would be more illustrative. Wu Bo, a Beijing employee from southwest China's Chengdu, sketched his expenditure tally sheet for the Spring Festival: 2,000 yuan for parents' gifts, 1,000 yuan for relatives', no less than 500 for the children's, and another 1,000 yuan on feasts with friends. Added by his 2,800 yuan round-trip flight ticket, that would be 7,000 yuan (US$1,025), at least.

Wu had to tighten his belt from his 3,000 yuan salary, almost five months in advance, to save up that sum. He wanted a glorious homecoming, to make the impression that he lives well in cities, Wu said to the China Youth Daily.

According to the poll, 69.4% people believe the money-devouring peacockery, the act of showing off excessively to make one look sophisticated, is the major foot dragger for home dodgers.

"It's extremely unnecessary. It's the family getting-together that matters not the gifts, nor images," said Lu Shizhen, a professor with the China Youth University for Political Science in Beijing.

"Actually parents would love to share and help their kids' pressures and troubles," Lu added. The youth specialist's suggestion was echoed by 50.4% poll takers, who believe the peacockery during holidays should be put on hold while more communications with parents be advocated.

Zhong Gulan, a psychotherapist, believed that the burden of presents was mostly self-inflicted and people should focus on how to spend the Spring Festival in their own way and mind less of others' opinions.