With great reward comes great risk. For China's middle class, which has enjoyed a decade of unprecedented prosperity, it is now time to pay the piper.
For Lin Qiang, a garment sales manager in Shenzhen, that means working weekends.
Lin used to spend weekends at home in Foshan with his parents, wife, and 6-year-old-son. Now, he often stays in Shenzhen, trying to stay a step ahead of the global economic crisis.
"We have fewer orders, and there is always the risk of getting laid off," Lin said. "Everyone is working harder just to stay employed."
For Fan Xiaoqin, it means giving up some of her favorite pastimes.
Fan, who works for Google in Chengdu, used to like to shop for clothes or entertain on the weekend. Now, she's not in the mood.
"There's just too much stress. Our company has cut costs and introduced more performance assessments to deal with the hard times," said Fan.
"After working this hard, you should be able to relax and cut loose," she added, "but I'm afraid this is not the right time."
And for some white-collar workers like Wang Xiao, it means getting a second job.
Wang, who works for a trading company in Yongkang city, Zhejiang province, now sells flowers and lanterns at a night market in order to make ends meet.
"At first, I was ashamed. I hid my face with my cap and covered my license plate so people wouldn't see me," Wang confessed.
"Now, I don't care. I call out to people to come buy my goods. That's what you have to do to succeed in this business," he said. Wang says he makes about $150 a month at his second job.
Other white collar workers-turned-vendors in Yongkang have organized an association and launched a website, posting detailed accounts of their experiences selling after work.
For many middle-class families, the difficulties are not just economic. The fear of losing a good-paying job can be as stressful as actually losing it.
A recent poll by Sina.com found that 26 percent of employees were "extremely anxious" about their jobs; another 35 percent said they were "worried".
In another 2008 survey, 70 percent of respondents said the financial crisis had greatly affected their mental state; another 10 percent said they felt like they were "on thorns" over the possibility of losing their jobs.
"It's no longer a question of job pressure," said Lin Qiang. "Now it's a question of survival."
The economic crisis has not led to a significant increase in white-collar workers seeking psychological counseling, according to Yu Xin, director of the Institute of Mental Health at Peking University. Between 20 and 30 percent of Yu's patients complain of job pressure, he said.
"White collar patients mainly suffer from insomnia and depression due to stress caused by the economic recession," Yu said. He advises them to get plenty of exercise, talk with colleagues, and discuss their concerns with their employers.
Also, Yu tells his patients not to blame themselves for troubles brought on by the economic crisis.
Liu Hong, a counselor at Jinghui Xinling counseling service, said she sees 30 or more patients a month; the number of stressed-out, white collar workers has increased by 10 to 30 percent, she said.
Despite the government's efforts to increase domestic consumption, frugality seems to be making a comeback.
Last June, 24-year-old Beijing press photographer Wang Hao launched a campaign on blog.soufun.com, encouraging white-collar workers to limit their weekly expenses to 100 yuan ($14.60). About 5000 netizens responded.
"During times like Spring Festival and Valentine's Day, people my age tend to go overboard. They'll spend their entire salary and then pull out the credit card to buy things like designer clothes, electronic gadgets, and concert tickets," Wang said.
Recently, Wang's campaign has taken off. The number of respondents has jumped from 10,000 to almost 200,000 in the past three months.
"With more pressure at work and the economic crisis, more and more people are realizing that such extravagant spending is not really necessary," Wang said.
One sign of the times is the number of online sites offering to rent just about anything - from hiking equipment to designer handbags - for as little as 1 percent of the purchase price.
Renting seems to some cost-conscious consumers to be a way of having their cake and eating it too.
"Spend the least and enjoy the most," urges one rental site.
"Renting is a form of thrift," advises another.
For most middle-class workers, however, there is simply "mei banfa" - no alternative to dealing with tough economic times.
"It's a once-in-a-century crisis. I know it won't go away overnight," said Fan Xiaoqin in Chengdu.
"We just have to face it."
(China Daily March 23, 2009)
