From China Digital Space

富二代 (fù èr dài): rich second generation

For the poor second generation, parents are more of a burden than an asset. For the rich second generation the opposite is true.

The larger figure labeled “rich person” holds his child aloft next to the much smaller “poor person.” Both figures sit on a bench labeled “social resources.”

Before China’s reform and opening up, Communism had substantially leveled the playing field and most people were more or less on the same economic level. With Deng Xiaoping's free market reforms, the gap between rich and poor became more apparent. The children of those who prospered during the reform and opening up period are call the “rich second generation” and the children of those who did not prosper are called the “poor second generation.” Commentators complain that institutional barriers (high cost of education, importance of connections, etc.) prevent the poor second generation from moving up.

See also governing second generation.

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