A Chinese cookbook for happiness and success. Nadine Koerner
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of happiness roughly includes material abundance, physical health, a virtuous and peaceful life, and relief of anxiety about death. Nowadays, happiness in Chinese dictionaries is translated as “xingfu”; “xing” means “fortunate” and “fu” (福) means “fortunate, lucky, smooth and free of obstacles”. This shows that the Chinese notion of happiness is based on luck and fortune.
Recently happiness has become a political issue too and former Premier Wen Jiabao defined happiness as: "people live comfortably, feel relieved and safe, and have confidence in the future."[40] Other Chinese politicians followed this definition, which is passed on to the general population in TV shows, TV series, internet articles and other mass advertisements.
Consequently great interest aroused the question, what the general public would answer in private surveys. A survey conducted in 2013 amongst 200 Chinese private high school students with an average age of 15 years, using questionnaires, distributed by systematic sampling, showed that only 5 % had no idea how to define happiness. About 25 % defined happiness as a feeling, for 20 % happiness meant to stay with family, friends or lovers and to get support from them. Another 15 % defined it as freedom to do whatever one wants to do, and 11 % equaled happiness with contentment and satisfaction. For 5 % happiness was defined as access to good food and rest, around 2 % defined happiness as ‘no sadness’, 2 % as ‘playing computer games’, and for 8 % it was equaled with health, security, money, success and good marks.
A survey conducted in 2013 in a private company amongst 100 Chinese middle position employees with an average age of 35 years, using questionnaires, distributed by systematic sampling, showed that 25 % defined happiness as ‘being in good health’! Another 20 % defined happiness as ‘having freedom and peace with the world and oneself’, 15 % defined happiness as ‘having good relationships between family members’. 10 % defined it as ‘having one’s wants satisfied’. 5 % had no idea about the definition and were looking for happiness, 5 % thought good income would equal happiness, and 5 % defined happiness as ‘making best use of one’s talents’.
2.3.2 Happiness research results in China
Happiness surveys in China show a wide range of results.
The "2005 Social Blue Book", a data compilation about a range of topics on social issues in China, published the "2004 Chinese residents’ quality of life report". According to the survey, nearly 80 % of Chinese residents felt happy.[41]
An official survey conducted in 2010 by a research group of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress across 24 Chinese cities and published in ‘China Daily’, concluded that more than 74 % of Chinese urban residents felt either "very happy" or "fairly happy", with the elderly people happier than the young, women happier than men and public servants happier than the rest.
In January 2011, the happiness survey results from China Central Television (CCTV) were released. About 45 % of more than 80,000 respondents said that their lives are happy or very happy, while about 11 % reported not to be happy. The survey has been conducted for four consecutive years. Respondents were selected from 104 cities and 300 counties of 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. Although respondents were from all age groups, educational backgrounds and income levels, most, 78 %, of the respondents were urban residents.[42]
A survey report published in May 2011 by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, based on a survey of 4800 people, found that more than 74 % were happy or very happy. In 2011 the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published ‘The Chinese Cities' 2011 Competition Power Blue Paper’ which covered 294 cities. The survey showed an average score of 76.06 out of 100 in terms of the residents' sense of happiness, which has gradually increased over the past decade: the score for 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2010 is 69.40, 70.52, 73.55 and 76.06.[43]
The 2010 Pew Global Attitudes survey found that 87 % of Chinese people surveyed were satisfied with their life, making it the most satisfied country by far out of all the surveyed countries. This result seems to be supported by the result of a recent well-liked TV show called ‘Are You Happy?’ It is produced by the national broadcast network, which interviewed more than 3,500 people, from garbage collectors to factory workers to Mo Yan, the Chinese winner of the 1.2 million USD Nobel Prize in Literature. The producers claim that more than 90 % of the respondents said they were "happy", although only a very small percentage of the interviews were actually telecast.[44]
According to a survey in 2013 amongst 200 private high school students with an average age of 15 about their happiness levels on a scale from 1 to 10, about one third chose 10, no student chose a happiness level below 5, and the average score was 7.98! When asked, what would make them most happy, 15 % answered that eating would be on the top, 20 % replied that staying with friends would make them most happy, about 20 % of respondents replied to be most happy when having time for their hobbies and 15 % answered to be most happy when getting good grades and having no homework. 10 % chose playing computer games, 10 % staying with family and being supported by one’s family, and 8% had no idea what would make them most happy. 80 % replied that at least sometimes food would make them happy, foremost sweets, cakes and ice-cream.
According to a survey in 2013 in a Chinese private company amongst 100 middle position employees with an average age of 35, the average happiness level score was 7.72 on a scale from 1 to 10. Only 8 % of respondents had happiness levels of below 5. About 10 % of respondents were most happy when eating and having big dinners with their family, 10 % were most happy when spending spare time with family, 15 % when spending spare time with friends, 10 % when seeing children happy and 10 % when they got higher income. 5 % of respondents had no idea. However, results have shown that most respondents related their happiness levels to those of family members and more than 80 % replied that ‘good’ food would increase their happiness levels.
It can be seen that results of Chinese happiness research vary a lot; reasons could be the differences in sample sizes and sample groups. Often the focus of Chinese happiness research is on urban residents. Consequently, results might not be completely bias-free, because happiness levels might differ between rural and urban residents, as incomes and living standards in rural areas are lower than in urban areas.
Nevertheless, one of the 10 happiest places on earth is in China, which is Wuyi Mountain, in Fujian Province. Around Wuyi Mountain is ‘Tian XingYong Le’, the Ever-Happy Temple, and the mountain is surrounded by a realm of secret valleys splashed with waterfalls and pocked with mysterious caves.[45]
2.3.3 Chinese definition of success
In China by tradition, success of men was measured by the number of mistresses he had. Nowadays fancy cars, luxury homes, expensive branded watches, clothes and golf equipment have replaced mistresses as measurement of success. For the Chinese government, the traditional measure of success was the GDP. According to the current Chinese premier Xi, GDP is not any longer the measure of success in China, but the happiness of Chinese people.[46]
A survey amongst 200 private high school students in South China showed that about 25 % of respondents equaled success with money, 25 % with achieving goals and improving oneself. For 15 %, success meant realizing ones’ dreams, and for 7 % it meant doing what one wants to do. Some respondents’ answers included: ‘having a positive effect on others’, ‘not regretting anything’, ‘trying to reach something without sacrifices’. For about 8 % success meant ‘being happy all life’. Roughly 15% had no idea how to define success.
A survey in a Chinese private company amongst 100 middle position employees with an average age of 35 showed that 25 % equaled success with setting goals and achieving them. For 25 % it meant making best use of one’s potential. 15% defined success as ‘being happy’ or ‘family happiness’. Only 5 % equaled it with money, 5 % had no idea how to define it and 3 % thought of it as freedom to do whatever one wants to do. The remaining respondents defined success as feeling, transcending limitations and showing value to society.
Table 1: Examples