These facts were taken from That’s Beijing Magazine, a great ex-pat magazine here in Beijing.
1,798
Average monthly starting salary for a college graduate in Beijing, in RMB (approx. $250 USD)
21,989
Beijing’s annual per capital disposable income, in RMB
8.88 mil
Number of cars produced in China in 2007.
1/3
Proportion of pollutants in Beijng’s air that comes from car emissions.
500 mil
Number of bicycles on the Chinese mainland, according to the Beijing-based China Bicycle Association.
4 mil
Number of bicycles stolen each year. China suffers estimated loses of RMB 2 billion as a result of the theft. ($300m USD).
30.3%
Percent of Beijingers who commute to work by bicycle. This figue is an 8.2% drop from 2000.
24%
In 1988, the number of Beijing’s traffic was not bicycle-powered.
That’s Beijing is a great expat magazine here in China. Actually, it is a must read if you are living in China as it keeps you up to date on good restaurants, social and community events. It also has great bar and entertainment listings. But, what I enjoy the most are the articles and the fast stats. City Scene fast stats Feb 2008
- 78.3 million. Increase in number of Chinese cell phone users in 2007. (More than double the population of Canada)
- 18.4 Percentage of Chinese university students who admit to having an Internet lover.
- 246 Number of “Blue Sky days” in Beijing last year. (from my view this is a very questionable number)
- 47 million. Number of Chinese bloggers (up from 17.5 million at the end of 2006)
- 550 Average monthly income in RMB for rural residents in China in 2007 (about $800 CAD per month)
- 2,000 Minimum average monthly income in RMB to pay national income taxes (up from RMB, 1,600) effective from May.
- 107,290 Average spending (RMB) per wedding in Beijing last year.
