Mar. 18, 2010 -- There is a growing anxiety among Chinese college students that, upon graduation, they will be unable to find high-paying jobs and find themselves unable to escape the ranks of the "ant tribe," a term used to describe a new class of Chinese youth. They are called this because they are industrious like ants and they live in crowded conditions.

"If you choose to stay in Beijing after graduation, and say, you earn 4,000 to 5,000 yuan every month and buy a house inside the sixth ring road by getting a mortgage, you may end up paying off your loans in your 50s, meaning that you have to suffer being a mortgage slave for 30 years," an undergraduate from Beijing Jiaotong University discussed with his schoolmates. He is worried that he may not be able to afford a house after graduation and hence, become a member of the "ant tribe," because of soaring housing prices.

"We are faced with not only the difficulties of choosing the right city to work in and finding, at the very least, an acceptable job but also over-priced housing, all of which have jointly exerted too much pressure on us," said a 2010 master's degree candidate from the Beijing Institute of Technology.

The above are some statements from college students in a discussion among students and young teachers at the "Two Sessions," an event organized by the Beijing Communist Youth League March 13. This "ant tribe panic" seems to be growing among college students.

The organizer invited Lian Si, author of the "Ant Tribe" and professor from the University of International Business and Economics to attend the discussion.

"In fact, my subject is to study potential social risks. The 'ant tribe' is essentially different from other social groups. They are well-educated, capable and ambitious, and they just do not have their own houses," Lian said. "In 10 years, many of them will become social elites, and the experience of living in 'ant tribes' will affect their viewpoints about society and how to educate their offspring. Therefore, paying attention to the 'ant tribe' means paying attention to our future and talents."

Lian also said that when his research findings were released, many people thought university graduates should go to small cities for better personal development instead of living in "ant tribes" in big cities. Some others said that living in "ant tribes" is an unavoidable period in young people's lives and they should march forward bravely since they are university graduates. All these viewpoints are worthy of discussion.
During the discussion, what the young scholar Lian did not hide was the fact that during the survey, they found that out of the youths from the "ant group," 50 percent came from rural villages, 30 percent came from small cities and only less than 7 percent came from provincial capitals. In addition, most of them have gone through the "rural village to university to ant tribe" route and are not living on their parents' money. It can reflect some social realities. For instance, the question was asked, "I exchanged a bag of money for a pile of books four years ago, but why can I not exchange a pile of books for a bag of money now?"

A student who once aided education in the western regions of China said, "The housing prices were not as hot 10 years ago, and we do not know what it will be like 10 years later. Therefore, we should not always focus on the present. While we are discussing whether or not we can stay in Beijing and afford a house, there are still many kids who cannot afford schooling in the western regions. We should have long-term viewpoints rather than just being worried and pessimistic. Countless places in China, where we will not live in 'ant tribes,' need us."