Young urban Chinese are profligate at the best of times, often spending beyond their means in a way that challenges traditional notions of Asian frugality. But when it comes to Valentine’s Day – perhaps the mainland’s most popular Western holiday – they take extravagance to heights worthy of the most debt-laden Westerner.
Chinese newspapers published on Tuesday are full of stories of young white collar workers spending as much as an entire month’s salary to reward their lover with a gift she can flash around. One young doctoral student says he spent his whole monthly budget on a one-way ticket to fly home to Chongqing, in south-west China, to visit his girlfriend. A young lover in Beijing said he plans to spend Rmb1,000 on 99 red roses for his girlfriend – though she might prefer 999.
A young man in Nanjing, eastern China, who plans to spend one fifth his monthly pay on a bottle of perfume for his girl, makes clear that he feels he has no choice: