this post was submitted on 17 May 2026
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Comrade anecdotes are not worth much
Are you telling me there wasn't a real Chinese peasant woman there?
If you think I'm feeding you speculation right now, then we should probably stop talking.
You, a woman, don't receive a pension; in her village, no one receives a pension except for government employees.
"In China, citizens who have not made regular pension contributions for the required period (at least 15 years) do not receive a state old-age pension.
These categories include: Rural residents without insurance: Elderly people in villages who do not participate in the basic pension insurance system for rural residents."
Is this a joke?
So, it turns out that peasants who lived their lives in poverty, who couldn't afford insurance, are left without a pension in their old age. And they lived in poverty not because they are lazy, but because China has only recently emerged from poverty. These are people who were born under Mao.
I have nothing against the fact that development was difficult in China, just please don’t make fun of me.
"Individuals who participate in the pension insurance for urban and rural residents, who have reached the age of 60 and have paid a cumulative contribution for 15 years, and have not received the basic pension protection treatment stipulated by the state, can receive the pension insurance benefits of urban and rural residents on a monthly basis."
Everyone receives a minimum pension but you cannot take the basic pension on top of other pensions.
Comrade I wish I could say you appear intelligent and sincere but it would be a lie in both cases I am afraid to say.
Yes, I checked, the basic pension is 150-200 yuan.
Damn, I couldn't find that video, but I swear to you that old Chinese woman said exactly what I told you, and no matter how stupid or smart I am, it doesn't change anything. That was a real village, and real peasants. I don't know why she lied back then. I could be wrong, of course.
And I'll clarify that the minimum pension in Ukraine is 450 yuan, converted. That's a paltry sum, you can't live on it.
Sorry for upsetting you so much, better blame it on my stupidity.
Can you turn on subtitles in YouTube's settings? If so, tell me if this is true or not.
Please forgive me in advance if I'm wrong.
https://youtu.be/qHI0-4_E9I4
Wrong that's the national floor that is legally required but each local government adds their own contributions on top of this for example if you fall under the Shanghai local government you would receive 1500 per month as your basic pension.
I didn't say it wasn't. I said it was an anecdote.
Good thing cost of living in Chinese rural villages is tiny. In most especially the most rural ones you could likely get by on 50rmb a month especially with the community help that comes with village life.
Yes, that video talked about that. We're talking about the provinces, not Shanghai.
That old Chinese woman who lied about not receiving a pension was from a remote province.
Personally, I don't find it funny.
Can you imagine the gap between the city and the village?
As a child, my parents took me to my grandmother's village for the summer holidays. It was a collective farm. I observed how the collective farmers lived.
You could survive without a salary; everyone had their own garden and livestock or poultry. I know what that's like.
Please look up what anecdote/anecdotal evidence means
And I am from a rural Chinese village so I know even better than you.
Thoughts of someone who hasn't studied theory or China. Cities obviously develop faster than rural areas.
If only you could have seen mine and our neighbouring villages even 15 years ago not to mind 20 30 50 years ago compared to today. You wouldn't be spreading all of this bullshit about rural people not seeing any benefits
As someone who doesn't study theory, I think Chiang Kai-shek built Shanghai according to the Western model, with Western money. How much longer will you continue to build and develop it?
Google translates it as a joke.
If you're talking about urbanization, I know. In 1930, peasants made up 80% of the USSR's population. The same situation was in China. What development are you talking about? If a city is developing, then peasants need to be resettled from the villages to the city so they can become workers.
A city can't develop without people.
But you can't resettle everyone; some will stay.
Yes, that's right, that video said that the rich regions are doing well, I didn't argue with you about that.
If you hadn't spoken so harshly to me, I probably would have kept quiet, Comrade.
OK. You're from Shanghai or thereabouts. Please tell me, how much does a Chinese peasant who came to Shanghai without a residence permit earn per month?
How much does a janitor in Shanghai, who is a Chinese peasant, earn?
I'd be happy to believe you, but I once spoke with a resident of St. Petersburg who has no idea how people live beyond the Urals. When it comes to national pride, people try to hide their shortcomings, especially if you're a staunch Chinese communist. The USSR also hid a lot, even from its own citizens. So your information isn't objective to me, sorry, Comrade.
I am not from a rich region 🤣
Not at all
And if you hadn't been spreading bullshit I wouldn't have felt the need to speak harshly. It would have been best if you had kept quiet instead of speaking nonsense.
Comrade I think we should leave this here. Maybe we can talk again when you decide to educate yourself before speaking.
The thing is, I've heard this from a Chinese person many times on Reddit, and not only from a Chinese person. For some reason, I continue to act like an idiot.
And I don't really like it, Comrade, that you sometimes don't answer questions.
A janitor's salary in Shanghai is $80-$100 per month. A Chinese farmer/worker without a residence permit in Shanghai earns $200-$400.
Please correct me.
As you wish
your source is youtube; think on that.
I show you YouTube, you show me the Chinese newspaper Pravda. It seems to me that the information is equivalent... )))
Seriously, please don't take me for an idiot who peddles fake news.
I didn't ask you, Comrade, to point out my sources. I showed you a video where a Russian guy studying and living in Harbin talks about how the Chinese pension system works, as explained to him by his Chinese university professor. And I asked you to tell me whether it's true or not.
Please search what anecdote means before getting offended or assuming what it means
Anecdotal evidence is evidence based on descriptions and reports of individual, personal experiences, or observations, collected in a non-systematic manner.
Russian interpretation
I translated
"Anekdot is a genre of urban folklore: a short, funny, and self-contained story. It usually builds on an unexpected and witty punchline at the very end, poking fun at human foibles, stereotypes, or current events."
Yes, I misunderstood you.
In fact, YouTube is teeming with these videos about China, but they're mostly positive.
But I just don't believe it when everything is good, so I look for the catch.
You can find anything in Russia. St. Petersburg and Moscow are just a showcase; go beyond the Urals and you'll feel sad. It's a region with incredible natural gas deposits, and some megacities rely on wood fires for heating.
I'm not even talking about the villages there.
I met a Chinese guy on Reddit, but he lives in the US. His father fled Mao's Cultural Revolution at the time. He probably has relatives in China and knows about it.
But at least he believes at least some of my jokes. I've been communicating with him for a year and a half now.