Smart Phone, No-cash Society, and Jobless — A Short Conversation with My Mother
Smart Phone
Yesterday I received a few messages from a person I don’t quite know saying my aunty was in hospital due to an accident. The messages were very convincing and even had photo to prove it. Being cautious, I called my mother who has never lived outside of the remote village in Sichuan, China where I grew up.
‘Of course it’s a scam, there are many conmen in Wechat, be careful.’ I’m quite shocked that it’s my mother who is telling me this. I remember 2 years ago when I convinced her to buy a smart phone so we could video chat through Wechat, she had hard time understanding how to use the phone. And for long time, she still carried an old small Nokia phone with her.
A few months later, she told me she’s going to open an ICBC bank account to set up Wechat payment. I was terrified. I wanted to tell her not to do it because the Wechat world is way too dangerous.
We never had a telephone line in our village. Even though I tried many times to teach my mother how to use a computer (both Windows and Mac), she never figured out and ended up giving the laptops away to my other relatives. Once, with some reinforced learning from the 6 years’ old girl in town, she almost started to use QQ. The idea that she’s going to link a bank account to Wechat is just beyond my comprehension. There are so many scammers everywhere, especially Wechat. I don’t know how I could shield the danger from her. Despite all my concerns, I’m fundamentally a pro-tech person, so I decided to support her initiative. From then on, a 5 minutes anti-scam education started to be part of conversation routine.
‘Oh, that’s good. I thought the photo was you at first so I got worried.You know how smart conmen are these days. Hard to tell if it’s real or not.’ I responded with big relief.
No-cash Society
‘Yesterday there were some exhaust fan promotion in the village so I installed one. I also went to their store and picked up a blender as well.’
‘What about the blender I bought for you one year ago from TMall? That was an expensive one. I thought you never used it.’ The blender is not a common kitchen appliance in China, especially in the village, so it’s natural for me to assume that my mother never used it.
‘Well, I used for a while for vegetables, fruits and meat. But it broke. The new one is much better. There were so many people in the store and it’s a well-known brand.’
I suspected that my mother was trying to justify her purchase by making up some stories. But, well, whatever makes her happy and I just wanted to know how much was potentially at risk, so I asked her about the cost.
‘The fan is 3,900RMB and the blender is free. I paid them by Wechat at home.’
‘Paid by Wechat Pay?’
‘Yeah, you know I sometimes shop on Wechat.’
‘No, I definitely don’t know!’ I was shocked again, not only by the amount that she is spending through Wechat, but by the fact that she actually shops on Wechat. I periodically buy stuff for her at TMall using Alipay to make sure she is not missing anything at home. What else she could possibly need to buy through digital payment?
Then, it hit me: maybe what I saw in the media, that street vendors and beggars are not accepting cash but using QR code now is actually a ubiquitous phenomenon, not only in big cities, but also in small towns, and even in remote villages!
‘Mother, do you use Wechat to pay everything when you go to the town to shop?’
‘Yes, of course, everyone accepts Wechat Pay these days. It’s very convenient. I also use it for bank transfers.’
Jobless and the Future
‘Tomorrow is my last day at the brick factory. The factory is going to be closed.’ My mother sighed.
She has been working in the factory for 4 years, mostly labor work and on night shift. Even we have land in the country side, it doesn’t really generate any returns and it’s barely enough to cover the living cost. When I was young, the life was very difficult and we had to pay tax in the form of crops every year. But a few years ago the government realized the policy was bad for peasants so they lifted off the tax.
The factory pays her 1,500RMB (~220USD) which is quite insignificant comparing to the high living cost in China these days. The factory work is hard and she almost got killed by an accident on her way to night shift, so I always ask her not to go anymore. But I understand that she got work friends and social life there which she really enjoys. Moreover, she can take care of my uncle who is also working at the factory and he is a little mentally challenged. She loves telling me stories about how the job has changed my uncle’s life and now he can afford to eat lean meat everyday, and he had savings, rebuilt his house, added new appliances and furnitures, and started to take care of other family members.
‘That must be hard for a lot of families. But I’m happy for you, mother, now you can relax and stay home. I’m surprised, you said the business was going quite well in our last call, especially now that China has so many construction business going on.’
‘Well, it’s for environment protection.’
‘Environment protection?’ I’m surprised that it’s not a ‘foreign’ word to her.
‘I suppose it’s a good thing. It’s for our health. We always get a dusty face when we go to the city. We used to see the Emei Mountain in sunny days but not any more. There are many other businesses being shutdown as well, food processing companies, shoe factories, paper factories, even some restaurants. Now we have more unmanned supermarkets and restaurants, factories with robots, we are losing a lot of jobs…’
‘It’s happening everywhere around the world. It’s just a lot faster in China. Mother, you don’t have to worry, just stay home and be happy.’
‘With those businesses shutting down, only the good ones will continue and become bigger. I’m afraid there is going to be a big gap. Those people who are smart will be a lot more richer and people don’t know how will have difficult time surviving. ’
I don’t know how to respond to my mother’s concerns. We’re all facing the same problem, it’s just a matter of time and awareness. As a software engineer in the Silicon Valley, I know if I stop learning for a few months, I’ll fall behind and perhaps lose my job as well. The world is changing, so rapidly and so drastically, beyond our grasp. The comfort I’m getting from my mother is that she is not complaining about the unfairness of the society, and the decisions that made by the central government which is a painful and bloody transformation into a more sustainable future. Whether such a change is necessary or too radical, we won’t know until we try.
