Students’ spending power is beginning to take shape. What exactly is the summer spending situation like for students in Luzhou? To find out, reporters visited and investigated students' summer expenses. They learned that most urban students can keep their expenses under 3,000 yuan if they don’t attend tutoring classes or go on trips. Some students who traveled during the summer had expenses exceeding 10,000 yuan. Meanwhile, rural children mostly have very little pocket money, and some from less well-off families even need to work part-time to cover their living expenses for the new semester.
School: Luzhou No. 2 High School, Luxian County | Grade: 11 | Name: Liu Hua | Expenses: 2,350 yuan
Liu Hua is an 11th-grade student at Luzhou No. 2 High School in Luxian County. During his approximately one-month summer vacation this year, he spent just over 2,000 yuan. “The expenses I can account for include 300 yuan on transportation, 150 yuan on phone bills, 600 yuan on dining out with friends, over 100 yuan on swim trunks and goggles, and 1,200 yuan on clothes and shoes,” Liu Hua said. This is several hundred yuan more than his usual school living expenses. “It’s unavoidable to dine out with classmates during the summer vacation, and we always split the bill when we do.”
School: Sichuan Police College, Fourth Student Brigade, 2012 Cohort | Name: Chen Feiran | Expenses: 13,000 yuan
Chen Feiran, a student from the Third District of the Public Security Management major in the Fourth Student Brigade of the 2012 cohort at Sichuan Police College, stayed busy during the summer. After some preparation, he set off on a Tibet cycling trip with several online friends.
“This trip to Tibet cost about 13,000 yuan in total — 4,000 yuan for the bicycle, 3,000 yuan for gear, and 6,000 yuan spent along the way,” Chen Feiran said. Although the expenses were significant, he also gained a lot of experience and knowledge during the journey.
School: Tianjiabing Middle School, Luzhou City | Grade: 7 | Name: Zhou Ye | Expenses: Approximately 400 yuan
Zhou Ye is from Baiyang Village, Anning Town, Longmatan District, Luzhou City. Her parents work in Guangzhou all year round, and she and her younger sister are taken care of by their grandparents. This summer, she finished her homework early and spent her free time doing household chores like sweeping, mopping, and washing clothes at home.
Her total expenses for the holiday should be around 400 yuan. “My mom sent me a set of clothes and over ten books from out of town, and my grandma buys some fruit when she goes to the market. I also need to buy some school supplies, which will probably cost another 20 or 30 yuan,” Zhou Ye added after thinking for a moment. “I also bought snacks a few times, which cost me about 10 yuan.”