Hey, Chinese here.
It's So true about the gender imbalance, housing price and savings.
I live in Changsha, capital city of Hunan province, which is located in the mid-area of China. I earn around 65000-70000 RMB, which is around 11000 USD every year. It's definitely not a lot of money, but I can ensure you I surpassed at least 50% of the people in my city when it comes to the salary. (I work in cross-border E-commerce industy :-) )
Being a man / male in China is not easy at all, since the housing issue will drive you mad.
I have to save 75-80% of my salary for buying a house here. Of course my salary is not enough, so I got some support from my family. My parents and I will pay both 15% of the price in a couple of months to afford the first apartment for me. (30% at first, the rest 70% will be paid in loans monthly, which would cost around 40% of my salary in future, yes monthly.) The apartment is around 110 square meters big.
You guys might say, screw it! Why the hell should I live under such a huge pressure!! Well, you just don't have the choice. When it comes to marriage, house is definitely the super No.1 condition. No house, no girl, no marriage. Sometimes I just don't understand why the hell that girls in China loves the house so so so so much nowadays. Anyways, there's reason of girls want "the feeling of safety" / the bad renting system here / The special Hukou policy.
All right, if ever I could have a choice. I want a daughter. No, definitely not a son. So my child will face less pressure in future.
But hey, let's look at the bright side. Anyway, it just takes around 20-25 years to pay the loans. And, my salary might also increase.. right? :-) Since... Hmmm . I've been studying English and Japanese until today and I can do some translation part-time jobs. (I just LOVE video games so much, Sony and Microsoft, games are pushing me to study languages everyday!!!)
