When a millionaire with a BMW causes a traffic accident or a rich family gives birth to an extra child despite the country's "One-Child Policy", the Chinese public is now prone to publicly bashing their actions. This is because the gap between the rich and poor is significantly widening in China.

According to current research conducted by the Social Research Center of China Youth Daily and sina.com, 65.3 percent of 7,916 interviewees said they would exhibit different attitudes toward the rich and the poor when misconduct occurs.

The research indicates that a rich Chinese man does not have a positive image today. In fact, about 57.1 percent of those interviewed feel that Chinese tycoons live opulently, and 52.7 percent of the interviewees think that rich men are greedy. Moreover, 45 percent of them equate the rich with corruption. Only around 30 percent interviewed believe a large income is a result of a person's intelligence and diligence.

"People feel dissatisfied by the ways Chinese tycoons earn and consume money," remarked Ding Xueliang, a professor in the Division of Social Science of the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. "Some of them have gotten rich via nepotism, corruption and even criminal actions which cause great indignation among ordinary folks."

The research questionnaire asks a key question: do you want to be rich, too? Although people showed their disillusionment regarding the wealthy, they do not deny their own expectations of garnering wealth. 92.9 percent of the interviewees expressed a desire to join the upper financial echelons.

"Nowadays, people intend to serve the rich but speak for the poor," said Mao Yushi, director from Unirule Institute of Economics. "People can get benefits when serving the rich and avoid criticism when speaking for the poor." Interestingly, 89.8 percent of those interviewed agree with Mao's comment.

Some interviewees would like Chinese tycoons to do something to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor; 91.2 percent believe that rich people should take on more social responsibilities.

"In the next ten years the income gap between urban and suburban residents will be ill-proportioned at 4.1:1 if it continues growing at current speed," said Lin Yifu, a professor from the China Center for Economic Research of Peking University. Early last year the income gap ratio between urban and suburban residents reached about 3.3:1; during the same time period there were only four countries with ratios below 2.5:1. Lin advises China to develop more small-and-medium sized financial institutions in order to speed up suburban area development.

The expanding income gap in China has attracted global attention. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently warned that the widening income gap in Asia poses a great threat to the region's vigorous economic growth. Economists from ADB advocate that governments offer fair job opportunities to the poor, and that they improve the educational and social welfare systems for underprivileged people.

(China.org.cn by Wu Jin, August 13, 2007)