A
Chinese Professor
23 September 2006
Recently
an associated professor with China’s
prestigious Beijing University published
his personal financial details on the
Internet. Here is his balance sheet:
Monthly
income:
Monthly wage
after tax: 1,918 yuans
(roughly 240 usd)
Allowance:
1,368 yuans (roughly 170 usd)
/ month
Other teaching
incomes and allowances: 1,500
yuan (roughly 190 usd) /
month
Total monthly
income: 4,786 yuans (600 usd, or
800 aud)
Monthly
expenses:
Son’s high
school fees (including
tutorial fees, textbooks
costs, non-local citizen
levies, as well as
transportation, lunch and
school uniform expenses):
1,400 yuans (175 usd)
Daughter’s
kindergarten fee: 680 yuans
(85 usd)
Patrol: 1000
yuans (125 usd)
Highway levy:
30 yuans (4 usd)
Internet
access fee (at the office):
20 yuans (2.5 usd)
Meal: 1,425
yuans (180 usd)
Total monthly
expenses (without mortgage):
4555 yuans (570 usd, or 760 aud)
Monthly
closing balance: 4,686
– 4,555 = 131 yuans (16 usd, or 22
aud), just enough to order a home
delivered pizza plus 1.25 litre of
coke.
The
reason that he exposed his personal info
is to respond to the increasing
criticisms from the public of the
university teachers spending more time on
commercial activities than doing
teachings.
"Can’t
you folks see?" The professor argued
bitterly, "I’m virtually doing
volunteer work for the university.
Without other sources of income, I can
hardly survive."
But
instead of quieting down the criticism,
he’s stirring more excitement among his
critics.
By
any standards, some said, a monthly
income of 4,700 yuans is above the
average income level in China, and if
this justifies his lack of devotion to
his work, then teachers in high schools
and primary schools shall have little
reason to dedicate to their students.
Others reminded him that some village
teachers in poor regional areas only got
500 yuans ($60 usd) a month. Still more
told him get lost, "Pray, find
yourself a consulting job with a
cooperate company, and vacant the
position for others willing to
teach."
The
Nameless Lake
A scene in Beijing
University
It is a university
that is never tired of positioning
itself at the centre of China’s
political storm and social
controversy.
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