Below is a partial translation (by CDT) of a post from A Yi’s blog (ÈòøÂøÜ). A Yi is an associate professor at Beijing University.

Please take a look at my salary income to see if I can make my living without the so-called “extra income” (§ñÂø´).

As an associate professor, my monthly salary, minus all the taxes and pensions, is 1918 yuan ($240).

Thanks to our government, I also have a 1368 yuan ($171) monthly subsidy. Although this subsidy is only for 9 months (no subsidy during the two month summer holiday or the one month winter holiday), to keep it simple I will include it as a monthly income.

Thanks to our school and department, I am assigned to teach in community colleges, although I have to sacrifice my weekends and holidays to do this. The income is about 10,000 yuan before taxes. The tax actually increased this semester, but again to keep it simple, let’s assume this 10,000 is tax free. I also have other temporary holiday allowances, which adds up to about 6,000 a year. Added together and divided by 12, it’s about 1,333 yuan ($167) per month.

The last category is from every summer’s graduate thesis defense. Being a president or a member of more than 10 graduate thesis defense committees, I really keep myself busy. But by doing this I could have about 2,000 yuan bonus a year. That’s 168 yuan ($21) a month.

So now we can calculate my total salary:

1918 + 1368 + 1333 + 167 + 168 = 4954 yuan

($240 + $171 + $167 + $21 + $21 = $620)

Now let’s have a look at my expenses. Please see below balance sheet:

4786„ÄÄ„ÄÄ(Income)

Ôºç1400 (My son’s tuition and other spending. My son is a senior high school student.)

Ôºç 680 (My daughter’s kindergarten tuition)„ÄÄ„ÄÄ„ÄÄ„ÄÄ„ÄÄ

－1000 (Gas fee. Beijing is a huge city and I live very far from the campus, there is no shuttle bus and no transportation subsidies)

－ 280 (Freeway toll. In order to avoid traffic, I have to take freeways to work)

－ 30 (Campus parking fee)

Ôºç 20 (Office Internet fee. We have to pay for the Internet in the office. I don’t count in the Internet fee at home)

－ 450 (Meal)

－1425 (Housing mortgage)

1400 + 680 + 1000 + 280 + 30 + 20 + 450 + 1425 = 5285 yuan

(… = $661)

Balance: ($620 – $661 = $-41)

Those are just the most basic expenses. Should I bring gifts to my parents? Should I take my kids to the zoo or to the Forbidden City? Should my kids learn piano?

Apparently A Yi can’t make it if he doesn’t make extra income.

-Also read The Monthly Expenses of a Migrant Worker from CDT. and discussion on Chinese blogosphere about A Yi’s post.