Source: wechat official account: Jiubian has been authorized to reprint
01
The image of a county on the Internet is characterized by “soil”, which often represents a low level of management. If you check “the largest county in China” on the Internet, you will find that many provincial capitals are magically listed among them, such as Wuhan, Changsha, Shijiazhuang, Jinan, Hefei, and Tianjin
The most outrageous cities are Xi’an and Nanjing. I can only guess that the local people have higher expectations for their hometown.
What is life like in the county?
The people in the county are actually divided into several categories, which is why the online description of the county is so different.
The most standard is the ordinary Aboriginal families, most of which have lived in the county for at least two generations. Over the past few decades, many people have known each other. Most of the elders have a stable and medium income. The houses were either distributed by the previous units or self built. In recent years, they may have moved into commercial housing. It is difficult to understand that most of the houses in the county do not have property certificates, but they can still be traded.
There is a description for these families that “you can read it for a lifetime at the age of 30”. These people don’t think much of themselves. The most important thing to consider is the children. Most of these parents have neither high education nor great insight, and generally do not understand the new things their children are exposed to.
Worry about the three things: going to school, getting employed and getting married. In my mind, if a child is admitted to a key university, it is best to stay in a big city after graduation. I tried to make a down payment for my child.
If you can’t go back to your hometown and take an examination of a civil servant, you can be proud and proud. If you can’t pass the exam, you will try your best to get a “serious” job for your child, have a financial meal, and then get married and have a baby and help yourself.
The families that are lower than the standard families are those that come from towns or villages to the county. Some of these families are parents who take their children to settle down in the county, and some parents pay for their children to buy a house in the county.
This kind of family is relatively marginalized in the county, because most of the social relations are not in the county. The “relationship” atmosphere in the county is very strong, and it is not easy for outsiders to integrate. Most of the things that elders worry about are also the rise of children. If they can’t pass the exam to enter key universities, it is also the best solution to go back to their hometown to take the exam.
In the county, this kind of “public meals” for foreign families is the fastest way to integrate into the local area and improve their status. The life of such families in the county is relatively ordinary, and many people’s negative impression of the county is mostly derived from this.
Another thing that has been roast about in the county is its housing price. With the sharp rise in housing prices in big cities over the years, the housing price in the county is also rising. In many counties with relatively good economy, the house price may not be different from that of the city.
This has caused a big problem. If it is a township or rural family, there is no big difference in the cost of house purchase in the county, prefecture level city or even the provincial capital.
Last year, a little friend in Tiktok said that he had planned to go back to the county. As a result, he was startled when he went back to see his new house. His hometown was 8000 in the county town, and his city was no more than 10000. Their provincial capital belongs to the weak second tier. There are 230000 houses with good house prices, but more than 10000 can be bought in a little bit too far away. Moreover, there are many more job opportunities in the provincial capital than in the county. His parents and relatives are from the town. It doesn’t make much difference whether he goes to the county or the provincial capital. In this way, the choice was very clear, so he bought a new second-hand one in the provincial capital and planned to replace it later.
As he said, “stupid x just bought more than 8000 houses in that broken county.”. In fact, the houses in the county were not expensive, but around 2016, they carried out large-scale demolition and construction of new towns in the county, and cash compensation made many people get a lot of cash. People who got the money also chose to replace their new houses, resulting in a round of soaring house prices.
Families higher than the standard families are mostly wealthy businessmen and civil servants with certain positions. These people belong to the elite families in the county. They not only have high economic and social status, but also have a social circle covering the whole county. This kind of family life is better. It can basically be described as “flying with joy”. Many people return to the county seat and find that life is simple and beautiful, mostly because family conditions are superior in the local area.
Elite families generally pursue a better life for their children. If they are in a big city, they will try to buy a house. If you go back to the county and try your best to get a well-organized job for your children, it is your first choice. That is, to take the civil service examination and provide full support for the children in their subsequent development.
This kind of family has the saying that “only half of the income of big cities in the county can be bought” and “young people in small towns are more willing to consume”.
In 2010, Dr. fenghongqi of Peking University wrote his doctoral thesis, the famous “middle county cadres”, by taking a temporary post in central Henan. This article has caused a long and heated discussion on the Internet. Among them, the focus is on the situation that cadres realize “hereditary” through various ways.
In the environment of the county seat, the situation in Zhongxian County is very common. Due to the lack of vitality and mobility in the county seat, the “inheritance” of various occupations is very common. Many shop businesses are run by two or even several generations of people, and the place has not been moved for decades. The establishment of civil servants and institutions can start faster than those without background, depending on the relationship and operation of the previous generation. After ten to twenty years, the position with background will naturally be higher.
If it is better than elite families, it is the bosses and members of the leadership of local large enterprises. Most of the children of such families will not stay in the county or city. It is their choice to go abroad or in the first tier cities.
02
If there is a group of people who love civil servants most, it is undoubtedly from the county.
There is a big difference between working in a county and a big city, but there are relatively few choices. There are only a few kinds of jobs, so that in the county, there are only two kinds of jobs in the eyes of many people: those who eat financial food and those who work.
Here we will talk about a situation. One of the reasons why the county is keen to take the public examination is that the proportion of people who eat financial meals in the county is relatively high.
At present, China is “copying layer by layer”, that is to say, the main structure of the Central Committee is: the four sets of leading groups, including the Party committee, the government, the people’s Congress and the CPPCC, are completely copied at the provincial, municipal and county levels, and will not be copied further down. If we continue to copy, the bureaucratic system will explode. In addition, the major ministries and commissions of the central government are copied downward. For example, the central government has a Ministry of finance, the provincial government has a department of finance, and the city and county governments have a bureau of finance.
Therefore, the county has a relatively complete administrative system and a large number of civil servants. This is also a resource concentration area in nearby areas. Medical education resources are concentrated, and there are many doctors and teachers.
Therefore, there are many people who “eat public meals” in the county. Generally, a county with hundreds of thousands of people has about 2000 civil servants. In fact, this number is only the number of regular civil servants. If we add in the number of staff participating in the public service, hospitals and schools, it may cost more than 6000. In addition, there are different numbers of retirees, such as temporary workers. The number of people supported by the finance of a county can easily exceed 10000.
In addition, the employees of large state-owned enterprises such as banks, credit cooperatives and China Mobile Unicom are also considered to have “serious” jobs by people in the county.
More than 10000 people, compared with a county town of more than 100000 and 200000 people, the proportion is not low.
Even in some places, such as Foping County, which once caused heated discussion, it is outrageous. The county seat has 8000 permanent residents, and more than 2000 of them work or retire in government agencies and institutions.
Of course, so many people are not all in the county. There are also people in the lower towns who eat financial meals. However, generally, the county seat is very close to the towns below. Most of these people settle down in the county seat. In addition, the distance between people in the county is closer, so almost everyone in the county has relatives and friends who eat financial meals.
No matter the civil servant or the establishment of career, the working environment and treatment are superior to most jobs in the county. This is the basis for the county to pursue examination and editing.
This has also formed a feature of most counties in China. Maybe the whole county has no industry at all. It just spends money on civil servants through finance. Civil servants usually go to eat and consume, which has stimulated the economy of the whole county. Almost all economic activities in the whole county center on “finance”.
Then talk about the working income of the county.
There are still great differences between different regions, but they are certainly lower than big cities. However, one-to-one comparison is not allowed. Only the same work can be comparable.
Many high-income jobs in big cities do not exist in the county. So many people say that people in their hometown don’t know what work they do, but their income is very high. They think it shouldn’t be serious, and the probability is that it won’t last long. I advise you to come back as soon as possible to take an examination.
Generally speaking, the average income of most people in ordinary counties and cities is between twoorthree. A small number of jobs have high incomes, but the proportion is very small, which is not included.
Moreover, many enterprises in the county are not standardized, and the payment of various financial insurance is not standardized. Or just pay oneortwo or pay the base according to the minimum standard, or even many simply “discount”.
In this respect, the advantage of financial support is even more obvious. Because the income of these people is determined according to the level, the difference between different regions of the country is not so great. In addition, all kinds of financial insurance are generally paid, and the proportion of payment is still very high.
So even from an economic point of view, kaogong is a good deal in the county. In ordinary counties, the income of the fiscal rice is still higher than the average income. Even if they get the same or even more salary as the people who eat financial food. If you include the insurance payment, your income is actually less than that of him.
As for some people saying that it is difficult to promote civil servants, this is true, and now we do not shy away from “political resources”, that is to say, we both work in the same unit, and you have the resources to rise quickly. We have nothing to say. After all, we accept the reality after oneortwo years out of college.
On the whole, as long as the ability, luck and EQ are on-line normally, and do not make mistakes or drop fierce men, it is generally the same in the end. After working for 20 years, most of them can survive until they get a section level (the county likes to raise the level of section level cadres to the director level). Although many of them are only for salary and have no actual power, they have been enough in the circle of the county. The mobility of the county is low. In the past 20 years, there are basically no unknown people, and a little things can help a little.
The same is true of doctors and teachers. It is not difficult to accumulate seniority and experience to become chief doctors and senior teachers.
Some people say that people in counties and cities respect people who eat money, which is even more reasonable.
In the face of a director or chief doctor who can see and feel, of course, he deserves respect. In contrast, a white-collar worker who only comes back from a big city for a few days after the Spring Festival and earns a monthly income of XX million doesn’t seem to be a big deal to the people in the county, because they don’t think your gadget can last long. What’s the use of making more money in a short time?
Besides, if you please local civil servants and doctors, you may be able to do things tomorrow. If you earn money and don’t spend it on him, why does he pay attention to you?
If you give money to the villagers in boxes like brother Dong back home, let alone the director, even your father will throw it away, and everyone will surely flatter you.
03
Here is the consumption of the county. In a word, China’s logistics is so developed that the prices of things in the country are almost the same.
Now commodity prices are unified nationwide and even globally. Most of the materials needed by the county are transported from other places, so there is basically no big difference between the East-West prices and those in big cities.
The relatively low labor cost and shop rent in the county seat. If these two kinds of consumption account for the majority, or local seasonal products, these relative cost performance will be higher. The most obvious is the food category. Many food UPS mainly shoot the food in the county. Before tasting it, many people exclaim that the amount is really enough. The barrage also expressed that “greedy cry, which started in XX at least”.
If the products come from other places, they are even more expensive because of logistics and turnover.
Many people say that most counties are relatively closed and conservative. This is true. The population mobility is relatively small, the proportion of the elderly is relatively large, there are many people in traditional industries, and there are many people in the system. People have little contact with each other. Most of the time, it is popular in big cities, but it can not be popular in county towns. It is also very difficult to change people’s consciousness once it is formed.
So most of the entertainment in the county is traditional. It’s easy to find someone to sing in KTV. If you play mahjong and cards, you don’t have to find them. Drinking can make you vomit. But if you play the script, it’s really difficult for people.
The relative lack of mobility makes the county seem to have little vitality. From the positive side, it can be said to be “quiet”, and from the negative side, it can be said to be “dead silence”.
Here are a few places in the county that are often criticized.
For example, the county seat is a human society, which is very unsuitable for the social terrorists in big cities. The roast about various relatives when they return to the city after the festival are reserved. For example, the county and the city like to find people to handle affairs. Even if the normal procedures will not encounter problems, they should also find people. For example, people in the county have a religious yearning for “cadres”. As the communication field of the county, the liquor bureau must have a position. If a higher-level government department comes, local cadres should sit down even if they have the same rank. For example, people in the county and city like to talk about others. A thing can easily be known by everyone in a few days.
One reason for all this is that the county is an area between the countryside and the city. Many things can not be as simple as those in the city. In fact, they are bound by the customs of the traditional local society. However, traditional customs can no longer be used in public, and many of them have become hidden rules.
The existence of hidden rules is based on consensus, which is often agreed by the majority. If there are tough people who don’t approve, the hidden rules should rely on the pressure of the majority.
For example, if two people fight and hurt others, according to the saying in the city, “if you lose in hospital, you will win in prison”. However, many counties are not like this. As long as they are not involved in criminal cases, there is room for turning around. Relatives and friends of the beaten family will be mobilized to find relatives and friends of the beaten through various channels, and try to make the other party not take the initiative to investigate, so as to “calm” things down.
Among the various tug of war games, the most important thing is to find a “face” person recognized by both families to make peace.
The purpose of beating a person is to avoid legal treatment, and the purpose of the beaten person is to make compensation in both spiritual and material aspects. Generally, the beating party pays out the money + comes to the door to apologize + various guarantees, during which both parties should have someone as a witness. Afterwards, it should be spread out to protect the “face” of the beaten.
For example, if nail households are to be demolished in the county, if they are directly bulldozed by bulldozers according to the law, how dare they do so? In the county, the first thing is to count the nail households, and then deal with them separately. A common method is to do the whole job: mobilize the relatives and friends of the nail households to persuade them to do it one by one.
Once there was a county town demolished, and a total of 22 nail households emerged. The Secretary identified 22 county cadres, each of whom was related to nail households within three generations. You can’t come to work if you can’t persuade me. You’ll have to stop your salary and bonus. So that the deputy director of the county tax bureau took his bedding and moved to the house of his brother-in-law who became a nail household. After five days’ stay, he finally “got the job done”.
In the county seat, the handling of events, as long as it is not a serious violation of the law. Many have the shadow of hidden rules. So people have become an instinct to find people for things. They like to find people no matter what. Try using hidden rules.
The operation of such a system requires that the whole county is a personal society, and any two people should be easily connected. And the connection should be close enough, that is, the human relationship network should be close enough to meet things before they can “pocket” them. Therefore, the county is keen on communication and contact, so that it can be closely connected with the whole network. If something happens, others will help you, and the hidden rules can be open to you.
In the classic scene at the beginning of the godfather, the funeral home owner came to the old godfather to “preside over justice”. The old Godfather said that you have stopped seeing me since your business was good. Now you come to me and ask me for money? You want to pay me to help you?
The same is true of many people and things in the county. A very low evaluation of a certain person is that “I don’t live with people at ordinary times. When I ask for help, I put out a large table and a small table. As a result, none of them came to eat.”
The respect for cadres also comes from this. The operation of hidden rules, in addition to being recognized by most people, is very important. When something happens, people with enough “face” must make peace from it. First of all, this person should have an identity worthy of recognition, and then do things fairly. It is better to be able to speak out and convince everyone.
In the county environment, the most suitable people are naturally those who have the status of cadres. In particular, people who are well-known for their local origins, hold certain positions in the local area for a long time (do not need to be very high) and have a good command of words and deeds.
As I said earlier, the county seat has a high proportion of public meals and a large number of cadres. Compared with the rich, they are more recognized by everyone. Cadres’ work is stable, their income is relatively high, they are respected by everyone, and they have the power to help people, which makes the county yearn for “eating public meals”.
A little friend may ask what opportunities there are for making money in the county.
In fact, how to become a rich man in a county is similar to that in a big city. Most of them rely on luck, courage and planning.
If there are profits in big cities, they will soon appear in counties and cities. If you find something doesn’t appear in your hometown County, your first reaction must not be to fill in the “lower market gap”, because it is likely that it is not suitable for the local situation, especially because you don’t know it because you are not there. If you take it for granted, you may find it a big hole.
Moreover, people in the county will wonder how such an obvious pit fell. I’m afraid it’s not blind. It’s really a double blow.
I have seen it with my own eyes. It is not limited to selling JK, hand-made, Andrew mink, card tour shop, escape chamber, etc. in the county. Most of them were busy for a few days, and then they quickly collapsed because there were not enough customers. However, there are usually “pingti” of big cities in the county, that is, cheap versions of various things. There are twenty-one cups of milk tea in big cities and eight pieces in the county, but there is neither milk nor tea in it. It is a mixture of monosodium glutamate and sugar. Everyone still enjoys it.
At the same time, there are also some people who become rich by some other means.
For example, some monopolize certain output, including minerals, agricultural products and local specialties. I once read a report that a place in Baoding, Hebei, illegally sold sand in the river channel, which could sell 1.57 million a night.
Some are monopolistic sales. For example, we can see reports every time we crack down on the underworld. The underworld and evil forces monopolize the sales of several kinds of vegetables in the vegetable wholesale market. The size of a county can make tens of millions of profits every year.
This situation is often the result of the county as a human society. Because people have a close relationship with each other, the supervision will become loose. As long as no one intends to make a big deal, it will generally operate like that.
But now many counties have a big problem. It is the attraction of big cities, especially in the last two decades, with the increase of urbanization rate in the country. There are a lot of young people flowing out of the county seat, and many people live in larger cities. With a young man who has settled in a big city, the funds accumulated by the family in the county and city for several generations may be brought to the big city. This is also a major basis for the sharp rise in housing prices in big cities.
And people are the foundation of everything, although there are also people living in towns and villages under the county. However, this kind of nationwide mobility is not average, so a problem is very acute: the hollowing out of some counties.
The original county seat was set up on the basis of the slow flow of ancient commodities and people. A transit station will naturally be formed at intervals. However, as the current flow speed is faster and faster, a county-level government every hundred miles or so is often unnecessary. So over the years, many county-level administrative divisions have disappeared. Most of them are subordinate counties close to big cities. Because of urban expansion, counties have become districts; A few are counties with too small population and jurisdiction, which are merged with large counties.
In addition, many counties with average economic development have had a major financial problem in the past decade or so.
Many small partners may know that after tax sharing, the financial powers and responsibilities of local and central governments are uneven, and the central government balances the local finances through transfer payments. Except for a few developed provinces in China, the fiscal revenue is lower than the central transfer payment.
In contrast, the financial pressure of many counties is even greater. Because of the national transfer payment, most provinces give priority to the development of provincial capitals and key cities. The funds allocated to counties are generally only enough to ensure the daily operation of the government. If we want to develop the economy, we must need more funds.
However, most counties are short of funds. Without funds, they cannot develop. Without economic development, there will be no more fiscal revenue. This becomes a cycle.
So many county governments have issued a large number of local bonds in these years. Due to the low administrative level, the county has a limited number of bonds, so the county raises funds through various investment companies.
The interest of these money is much higher than that of ordinary bonds. I have seen bonds with an annualized rate of up to 17%. The project description is that a county in the middle of China invested in the reconstruction of local facilities. Such exaggerated interest was later postponed.
On the whole, only a small number of counties have developed and embarked on a positive cycle. Many counties spent a lot of money, and finally just built the city, but their own industries did not develop. If money is spent without benefit, it will be wasted in the end. Even lack of funds, leaving a pile of unfinished projects.
However, the borrowed money has to be repaid, which makes the finances of many counties very tight, and even the annual financial revenue is not enough even to borrow interest. In recent years, local debts have been unable to be repaid when they are due, and there have been thunderous news from time to time, which will also be a big trouble in the future.
Previously, I wrote an article titled “heganghua” may be the fate of most small cities “, which is the same judgment for most counties.
04
Epilogue
You should have a feeling that China’s rapid urbanization has slowed down significantly in the past two years. Especially after the epidemic, more people may rethink their lives and society, and may not have so much hope for big cities. Many people even return to the county with their first and second tier savings, but do not know if they can adapt.
However, the high housing prices in big cities make it possible for too many young people in small towns who do not have an advantage in education to go back to the county. In this way, it may tend to be stable in the future, and the whole social pattern will be gradually settled down.
The gap in total wealth is certainly growing.
The gap in quality of life is not too large.
In fact, we should have a feeling that there is not much difference between the life of small places and that of big cities. Basically, what big cities use, they also use. The difference may be that you use big brands. They use homogeneous products with reliable quality, low price and no brand. When I went back to my hometown, I had a feeling that there was anything in Beijing and there, but they were all low configuration versions.
However, in a mature society, we can give everyone a suitable niche. We can go to big cities and live a stable life in County cities. Everyone can find their own position. As long as the mentality is adjusted well, everyone can live a good life.
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