Memories of spending from different ages

By Nan Du (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-08 09:52

The game of skipping rubber band remains popular with generations of Chinese children. [File photo]

What did Chinese children spend on before the 1990s? Southern Metropolis Weekly interviewed three people to share their childhood memories of different eras.

1960s: no idea of consumption - university associate professor Liu Xiaohui, born in 1964

"I didn't have any sense of spending money. There were very few things to buy. Even if we had money, we couldn't buy anything.

"Before I was 15, I never had any new clothes as I wore my elder brother's and sister's hand-me-downs. When my parents patched up some rags into a "new" coat for me, I was very thrilled.

"We made all the toys by ourselves. Boys loved slingshots while girls like me played games with rubber bands and flew kites made of bamboo and paper.

"Life was hard but I had a happy childhood. It might be because we were always told to carry on the "glorious revolution tradition" and "make contributions to the country". Our generation had a happy childhood waiting for a better tomorrow."

1970s: snacks, picture books and films - entrepreneur Xiong Fang, born in 1972

"The 'cultural revolution' (1966-76) had just ended when I entered primary school. My father also regained his job in a literature research institute, where he got a monthly salary of 60 yuan ($8.8).

"Every day, my younger brother and I got 0.1 yuan in pocket money, which doubled several years later. We spent two thirds of the money on snacks, which were unbelievably cheap - a candy cost 1 cent, a bag of salted peanuts 2 cents and 2 ice-lollies 5 cents.

"As policies became lenient, more people went into business. We had four shops by the school by the time I left primary school.

"I bought stationery every week, such as a pencil for 1 cent, or a rubber for 2 cents. At Spring Festival, my parents would buy new clothes for us and give us cash, out of which I could keep 5 yuan.

"Besides food, I spent the most on picture story books, such as Journey to the West, which cost 7 cents each. When we moved during high school, I found I had accumulated 300 such books.

"TV was a novelty. When the first family in our building who'd bought a TV turned it on, people in the whole neighborhood flocked there to watch series from Hong Kong and Japan.

"We also watched films - the ticket cost 5 cents and the theater was always packed. Before the movie began, cartoons like Astro Boy from Japan would be shown and the children were at their happiest."

1980s: all sorts of entertainment - university lecturer Wang Yizhu, born in 1985

"I had 2 yuan every day in primary school. I spent 0.5 yuan or more on breakfast and gave the rest to peddlers at the school gate or at shops on campus. The sweets I liked most were jumpy candy at 1 yuan a pack. You just put some pieces in your mouth and they'd jump on to your tongue. I would save for days to buy the candy.

"Girls played rubber band and dolls were common. But the dolls that you could dress up with different clothes cost 30 yuan. I would try my luck with my parents for months before finally getting one.

"Boys were different. My brother, who is a year older, saved 1 yuan every day to play game machines. When he was in the 6th grade at primary school, Dad bought him a PlayStation for nearly 1,000 yuan ($146). It was the most expensive toy at the time and attracted many boys to our home over the weekends.

"We enjoyed the Spring Festival the most, as our parents would buy us new clothes and shoes. During the 5th grade in primary school, Mom took me out to buy clothes.

"The white shirt cost 40 yuan; a princess skirt, 85 yuan; a pair of red leather boots, 50 yuan. That was my most extravagant outfit during my primary school years.

"We also got cash from elders at the Spring Festival. It was common to get nearly 300 yuan or even 500 - but we were allowed to keep less than 100 yuan for ourselves.

"Playing was the theme of our childhood. Nobody ran interest courses outside school, which seem to take up today's children's time. Our generation enjoyed plenty of entertainment, free time and we were never short of things."