A Jiao for Your Thoughts
Back in the States, I would often throw pennies away. Literally. I threw them right into the garbage. I told myself I was helping to fight inflation or to introduce poisonous levels of copper and zinc into the local water supply. In reality, a coin valued at one cent just wasn’t worth the hassle to me.
But surely one wouldn’t find this kind of wanton, thriftless attitude in China. This is, after all, the nation that not too long ago melted down every ounce of metal they could scrounge up in a bold attempt to catapult themselves into the industrial age. Could that kind of sentiment truly be erased so soon?
I found out today as I approached a campus convenience store. I had just crossed the street when a Chinese student stepped out of the doorway, hurled a handful of coins against the sidewalk, hopped on his bike and took off.
After pausing a moment to make sense of what had just happened, I stooped down to examine the coins. They were all the same.
The Chinese jiao, the coin worth one tenth of a kuai, or, almost exactly one U.S. cent.
I left them where they lay.
I wonder what he would have done if he had a handful of yi jiao notes. They don’t seem have enough weight to properly hurl.
You threw pennies in the trash? And to think that pennies actually cost the Treasury money to make! Though they still turn a profit making nickles, dimes and quarters. It would probably be easier to just leave the pennies in a tip cup.
Unlike most people, my (Chinese) in-laws still keep their eyes open for loose change on the ground. Sometimes they surprise me by bending over and coming up with a $10 or $20 bill. I guess it doesn’t hurt to keep your eyes open. However, most of the time they only find a penny or dime.
↓ Quote | Posted September 20, 2006, 3:15 pmIf I was near the trash in my dorm room, I’d toss them in. It wasn’t worth the effort find a trash can.
And the government doesn’t technically make a “profit” off high denomination coins and bills since they’re not producing something that has value, they’re producing something that represents value.
↓ Quote | Posted September 20, 2006, 7:31 pmIt depends, okay?
↓ Quote | Posted September 20, 2006, 8:38 pmI will never ever throw them away, probably the person you saw is a rich person, i never see any of my friends throw them away. Of course, if there is a penny in the street, we won’t try to pick it up since it’s not worth that effort, but we won’t throw them away.
Only depends, very…
Okay, so profit wasn’t the best choice of a word. I’m just trying to say that it costs less that 25 cents to make a quarter, but more than one cent to make a penny.
I follow Jing’s philosophy. I won’t throw away money, but I don’t go out of my way to pick up a penny.
↓ Quote | Posted September 20, 2006, 9:28 pmHmm… pretty sure my wife (Cantonese) would be shocked by this behaviour if she saw it. What city was that in if I may ask? I’m new here so don’t actually know where you are. Personally… by the way… I just keep a change jar. The kids love it and its handy for a quick cig run late at night when getting my wallet would wake the wife.:}
↓ Quote | Posted September 20, 2006, 10:26 pmI’m thinking the student was upset at the clerks in the store and expressed his anger by throwing the loose change against the curb.
While in Shanghai I had many run-ins with rude Shanghai women working at convenience store clerks.
Once, while buying a few things with a friend, the clerk totaled us together and then told us to make the money right with each other.
Many times I would walk into the store and the clerk would start yelling, ‘xiao qian..xiao qian…’ or ’small change…small change…’ as if the rich foreigner only carried around 100 yuan notes.
Sometimes clerks would not accept our money, especially if we were using loose change to pay for an item that was over 5 RMB.
And often the clerk would make us empty our pockets to see if we had any loose coins so she would not have to make change.
I’m betting the student had just encountered one of these situations.
↓ Quote | Posted September 21, 2006, 7:57 amI wonder what he does when he gets those Fen coins? I don’t think they’re worth the metal (though it doesn’t sound like metal when you tap them) they’re made of.
↓ Quote | Posted September 21, 2006, 7:27 pm