Why do Chinese people hate the rich so much?

Recently, there was news reporting that a 'BMW man' driving a BMW was slashed three times in the throat by a 'rich-hating man' and died on the spot. At the time of the incident, the 'rich-hating man,' Zhao, had just been released from prison not long ago. Due to difficulties in life, he once harbored thoughts of hating society and robbing the rich. Hating the rich has already become a widespread social phenomenon in today's China. There is a very enlightening joke that goes: when a neighbor suddenly becomes wealthy and buys a good car, Americans will say, 'I need to make money to buy a better car'; Japanese will say, 'I want to study how he makes money'; French will say, 'I want to borrow his car to take a joyride and flirt with girls'; while Chinese will say, 'I feel like killing him, but tonight I'll smash his car first!'

The poor hate unjust wealth. A large part of the Chinese people's complex regarding the rich is not because they are poor and hate the rich, but because a significant portion of the rich, whether entrepreneurs or officials, have become wealthy through practices that cannot be publicly justified. Throughout history, everyone has a desire for wealth, which is understandable. However, 'A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it in a proper way.' But how did Chinese rich people get their assets? They 'show their abilities in various ways,' each having their own path to wealth.

Looking at the rise of China's wealthy and the asset lists of corrupt officials, how many are genuinely clean? Many wealthy people are officials wearing the mask of public servants, using the power given to them by the people for corruption and personal gain. Some even embezzle disaster relief funds, poverty alleviation funds, and pensions. Some arrange for family members to manage state-owned enterprises, earning annual salaries of over a million; others are obsessed with large project bidding, gaining tens or hundreds of thousands from a single approval; some meddle in state-owned enterprise transfers, selling assets worth 100 million for 50 million, pocketing 10 or 20 million themselves... Facing these wasteful public servants who embezzle, erode, and transfer state assets, why would Chinese people not hate the rich?

Now, let's look at another group of wealthy people. Some are bosses of 'organized crime,' governing towns arbitrarily, oppressing the masses, committing all sorts of evil. After accumulating a certain amount of wealth, they transform into 'social celebrities.' Or they invest in real estate, speculate on property prices, and for huge profits, turn thousands and millions of ordinary people into 'mortgage slaves,' unable to repay their debts in a lifetime.Or it may be colluding with government officials, turning public assets into private ones during the restructuring of state-owned or collective enterprises, getting rich overnight, while leaving numerous workers as unemployed with no means to support themselves; or engaging in activities like selling adulterated meat, contaminated oil, sick chickens and ducks, Sudan red, melamine, and so on, becoming wealthy at the expense of public health. How can this unjust 'wealth,' amassed through cunning and the privatization of public assets, not evoke hatred and disdain from the general populace? Hatred of the rich stems from flaunting Wealthy people in China have reached the peak of ostentation, having golden banquets costing hundreds of thousands per table; giving their daughters dowries of over a hundred Hummers; bringing a pet dog to the airport with 30 Mercedes cars; spending millions on pets and luxury cars; spending tens of millions or even hundreds of millions on luxury homes; many wealthy women represented by Guo Meimei flaunt their wealth online to attract attention... This conspicuous consumption greatly stimulates public self-esteem. A considerable portion of these rich people's money is not only unclean, but they indulge in luxurious enjoyment with it, and not just enjoy it—they flaunt it everywhere. If the rich are uneducated, constantly flaunting their wealth to provoke the poor by saying things like, 'Hey, do you have this much wealth? Hey, my money could crush you! Hey, if you can, come and take it!' then it is inevitable that people will come to seize their wealth. Flaunting wealth and envy are both human original sins! The outbreak of these two original sins follows a sequence; if the rich cannot restrain themselves and let their original sin of flaunting wealth erupt, then the next to erupt will be the original sin of the poor; those who are envious will harm you! Why don't foreigners hate the rich? Foreigners have great respect for wealthy businessmen in their own countries and particularly admire wealthy individuals. Why is that? Why does no one despise Gates? On the contrary, people admire, revere, and envy him, seeing him as a role model and a life goal. The reason is simple: the public sees in him the noble image of a successful wealthy person—both affluent and compassionate, gaining wealth through diligence and effort rather than scheming or exploiting legal loopholes. He is extremely rich yet never wastes extravagantly, let alone foolishly competing in wealth, smashing Moutai bottles, or burning RMB.His wealth was not built on family background, corruption, tax evasion, loss of state assets, smuggling, trickery, or exploiting the poor; it relied solely on his own intelligence and the few technologies he diligently studied. He started from scratch and achieved success entirely through his own efforts. Moreover, after becoming rich, he is willing to give back to society, generous even to the poor, having donated over twenty billion dollars to charity, and has long stated in his will that 99% of his wealth will go to charitable causes, commanding immense respect rather than hatred. Among the wealthiest people in the United States, it can be said that none are government officials, and none have amassed huge fortunes through privilege. In the U.S., collusion between officials and business to become wealthy is almost impossible, which also explains why Americans do not resent the rich. Americans value individualism and believe that personal effort can achieve one's dreams. Becoming wealthy through reliance on others, privileges, or connections is not the path taken by American rich people. Most importantly, Americans do not seek to reduce wealth disparity through revolution or class struggle; instead, they value a society that ensures everyone has a fair chance to develop.

When will Chinese people stop resenting the rich?

The resentment of the wealthy among Chinese people is not truly toward wealth, but toward various social injustices. For example, the rich can use money to attend good schools, while the poor cannot choose schools; the rich crowd out the channels of upward mobility for the poor. The rich can have many children and just pay fines, while the poor cannot afford fines and must undergo abortion even at seven months of pregnancy. What the common people resent even more is not just the wealthy themselves, but the opportunities that wealth brings: money can buy diplomas, official positions, jobs, even legal documents—things that are originally intended for the poor but they are bought away by the rich.

So, when will Chinese people stop resenting the rich? The answer is: when the majority of Chinese people become middle class; when the rule of law is thorough enough that illegal wealth accumulation is more dangerous than jumping into a fire pit; when public opinion is strong enough that those who accumulate wealth immorally become social pariahs; when a society is established with fair starting points and equal opportunities, allowing the poor to become rich through effort; when the wealthy dare to disclose the sources of their wealth, dare to write autobiographies, and dare to compete to become role models for the public.When the majority of the rich are charitable and give back to society; when everyone who wants to become rich has to pay the same price... we believe that day will eventually come!