How the Value Changed

     Today, I had a class with my English teacher, and she asked me how the value changed in my hometown and the big city. It is a great question but it is also hard to answer. Although I think that I cannot answer the overall question in a perfect manner, I will try my best to show you what I have observed and perceived.

    First of all, I would like to say something about my hometown. My hometown is a lesser developed city compared to other big cities in China but it represents the value of most cities in China. The generation of my parents are more willing to let their children stay at the hometown, and they try their best to buy a apartment so they can provide some material advantage for their son to get married. As a convention at most places in China, a man must have a apartment to marry a woman. In addition, many young people value the wealth and money as the most important things of their life. Furthermore, there is still severe sexism in some countryside and cities. Some people never stop giving birth to babies until they get a boy. Also, in some places, women are just like a “tool” of giving birth to a baby. This might sound ridiculous and unbelievable to you but it is true. This situation has changed in the past few years as more and more people do not care if their baby is a boy or a girl. In the big cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, there are plenty of young people who have immigrated from other places in China. They lack the materials and resources to live in a big city. They are keen to success and make money. However, they are different when compared to young people from my hometown in some aspects:

1. They are well-educated compared to people from my hometown. They are able to achieve the highly paid intellectual jobs to help them sustain in big cities.

2. Their lifestyles are multifarious. They are more likely to chase what they really want rather than what their parents want. For example, there are more artists in big cities but there are few musicians or writers in cities like my hometown. The reason is that most parents want their children to have a “decent” profession, such as a federal employee, banker, and so on. 

     In conclusion, from my perspective, the value changes as the age and experience changes. I am not pursuing a life that I can see my 50s when I am in my 20s. I decide to study abroad and work in big cities to find what I really want. After that, I will decide whether I want to live in a hometown or in a big city.

     Do not hesitate to correct me and discuss with me. I cannot convey some points with my poor English skills.