One very easy and fun way to gauge the cost of living in a given place is to look at the cost of a bottle of beer. My roommate of four years Paul agrees with me, and he's an accountant so I must be right. I considered this as I took a quick cab ride back to my apartment from downtown Liuyang. Aimee and I were finished writing our first day's lesson plans and we went into town for some supplies and some beer to take the edge off the nervousness we were feeling.
As we drove past the Ming Tian Inn, complete with 'Western' style restaurant, we both seemed to come to the same realization. In Aimee's bag were four beers... 18 yuan total. Two days earlier we had circumambulated the city on foot and, being that the Inn is the last place before you reach the country roads of Xin Wen school, we stopped in at the Ming Tian Inn for some food and two beers... costing 20 yuan apiece.
It should be no surprise to anyone who has even remotely heard of China in the last 10 years that this is a land of paradox. However to see the gap between rich and poor so blatantly explained by the 'cost of beer' economic system was shocking. What is more shocking is how two, supposedly well travelled, individuals could be so stupidly ripped off. Right then and there in our taxi Aimee and I agreed that we were done buying 20 yuan beers. The atmosphere of the Ming Tian Inn just isn't worth it... trust me.
C. Johnson
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