I am amazed at how everyone is constantly hustling in China - it’s the same energy in NYC - where you cannot be sure that no one isn’t trying to find a way outside of the set boundaries. I love that kind of energy - it requires play and risk.

Ms. Guan reminds me of the energy I feel every time I land in JFK - where you get to the cart dispenser at the baggage claim and just as you’re ready to give in and pay $3 to roll your 3 pieces of luggage 300 feet - someone for sure will always come up to you and mutter - “2 bucks.for a cart, 2 bucks for a cart”

When Jinge and arrived at the Beijing Rail STation from our luxurious train ride - there was no way after 8 hours of sleeping on the train we were going to make 2 subway switches, cross two major streets and walk up and down 4 stairways with no escalators while carrying our luggage to get to Hepingjie Bie kou -

Yet the official cab line was at least 50 people long - at least a 45 minute wait. I knew that if we walked down do the side of the station we would find the black cabbies - our ride should only cost around 30 yuan - but prices would be a little higher for people like us who just wanted to get in a cab. WE walked to the side of Bejing Railway station and our first offer came at 150yuan. second offer was 70yuan. We ignored and laughed at both of the offers that came from men who looked like black cabbies - probablly migrants - a bit dirty - a bit shady.

Then Ms .Guan walked by with her off professional office looking outfit on a sunday morning - she said 50 yuan to Hepingjie - I knew I could get it down to 40yuan but at times I don’t like to drive the price down when in reality it’s only a matter of $1 to a $1.50 for me and it’s a much greater difference for them. I was just happy that someone legitimate had made a decent offer. We took it. She led us to the family parking lot - where friends and family wait with their cars.

she said if anyone asks us on the way out how we know each other - we just say that she is our friend picking us up.

On our cab ride, Ms. Guan told us that she was retired. She worked at a plastic factory for 30 years. Her husband worked at a textile factory for over 20 years.

I asked her if they had to pay an under the table fee to operate their cab service - she said no because her husband used to work at the rail station so he has his contacts. Their daughter is now in a unviersity studying to be a doctor. They live in Chaoyanqiu - in a remodeled tall highrise where the government gave them money to leave the building that their danwei (company/factory) gave to them. The government often does this so that they could remodel these old buildings and then make a little $ by allowing people to buy back their apartment. Then people who were paid to leave have the option to buy an apt with the money they were given - but that money is never enough to buy the apt back completely.

Ms. Guan is 56 years old. She says that she can run 2-3 customers a day if lucky. It’s just a side job - to make a little extra money - maybe 30-40RMB a day - so that means she is making the most $8 a day. She was explaining to us how the police often come by unexpectedly to monitor the parking lot where she waits for customers and in that case she has to leave if they stay around all day. The police hours are unrpredictable. On some days, she has to leave right when she arrives because the police are there. During SARS, 6 years ago, she bought a new red car so that she could find customers more easily.

Ms. Guan is very representative of people who are now retired in their 50’s in urban China - especially those who have been working for their Danwei for around 20-30 years. People like her can retire when they are 50 years old - very early retirement right? And they make around 1000-2000RMB a month in pensions. For those with higher managerial positions - they recieve around 3000RMB a month. That’s decent retirement money in China if your apt is arleady paid for and your one child has grown up.

Often I talk to urban people who have retired - and they don’t understand how people work until they are in their 60’s or 70’s in the US - they don’t understand how you could work so hard all your life and then have to work through yoru 60’s. Retring at 50 years old is a pretty good set up - now the entire system in china is resting on the backs of young people and migrants to keep this entire process stable. Will future generations be able to reitre at 50 years old - will people WANT to retire at 50? As more and more people become attached to their job - as they start assocating their job with their identity - a new kind of relationship emerges with the retirement process - delayed retirement.

Well for Ms. Guans’ generation - urban retirees in her age group are doing things to keeping themselves occupied - some buy dogs - some buys birds - some do tai chi in the park - some open up side businesses - some pressure their child to give them a grandkid - and some likeMs. Guan make a few extra dollars finding some little loophole outside of the system.

So go Ms. Guan for being gangster in her professional office outfit on a sunday morning at 8am.

AFter dropping us off, she is going to go home, take a nap and have lunch.

That sounds like a good life to me.