Beijing Food Prices -- Apples (1)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Another cost of living post. These are local apples, I think, though they say they're Fuji ... Fuji apples grown in China, I guess? ... anyway, 29.80元 (US$4.78) per kilogram means each apple is around US$1.20.  Strikes me as pricey, but I'm really not that in touch with the market, haven't been paying attention for the last eight years.

Beijing Food Prices -- Oranges (1)

Added on by C. Maoxian.

I thought I'd share some cost of living posts from Beijing.  These are imported navel oranges from America, "Sun Pacific" brand.  I have no idea what they cost in California. They cost 35.80元 (US$5.74) a kilogram here, which is almost exactly US$1.70 each.  Not cheap, but affordable for China's new middle class. Maybe still a bit of a treat?

Most of Society Is Not Moving Up

Added on by C. Maoxian.

A great New Normal piece, Golf Market Stuck in Bunker as Thousands Leave the Sport:

Once the go-to activity for corporate bonding, the sport is suffering from an exodus of players, a lack of interest among millennials and the mass closure of courses. ... About 400,000 players left the sport last year ... 'It’s a pretty high-price sport, and leisure time is getting crunched.' ... [Callaway] hasn’t reported an annual profit since 2008. ... 200,000 players under 35 abandoned the game last year. ... Only 14 new courses were built in the U.S. last year, while almost 160 shut down. ... 'Everybody’s hooked up to their handhelds, so it’s social networking instead of sports ... It’s something that’s associated with boom times. Most of society’s not moving up, and golf is associated with moving up.'

The great leveling ... standard of living on the decline in the US as it rises in Asia.