It has been two years since Canada fully opened up after the pandemic, and one and a half years since China fully opened up after the pandemic. In 2022, Chinese Canadians are looking forward to flights returning to pre-epidemic times as soon as possible, but the time has come to mid-2024, and the flight response speed is still very slow.
Once upon a time, Vancouver could fly to 13 destinations in China, and all flights per week combined could have about 30 flights during peak periods, but now? There are only one-fifth of the number of departures during peak periods, which will cause airfares to remain high.
Tens of thousands of Chinese Canadians have not returned to China since the outbreak of the epidemic, and it has been 4, 5, 6 or even longer so far. And some Chinese do have family members in China, especially elderly parents, and their failure to return to China is regarded as "unfilial", but they do have unspeakable secrets.
As we all know, the cost of living in Canada has skyrocketed in the past two years, not to mention the original low-income people, and even the middle class who was originally well-fed have had a bumpy time, and many Chinese Canadians belong to the middle class, taking care of themselves, and facing a monthly income beyond their means, how to consider returning to China?
Some people may say: It is expensive to return to China, but how expensive can it be, is it possible that if you have not returned to China for five years and have family members in China, you should also save this money and not return to China? It seems that you are really not filial.
Recently, at the local Chinese forum in Vancouver, a Chinese expressed with her own experience that "I really can't afford to go back to China", because she spent a full 20,000 Canadian dollars, more than 100,000 yuan.
The original text is as follows:
Although this netizen's experience may not be universally representative, netizens who have also experienced returning to China after the epidemic have also started their own calculations, and the calculated amount is also very amazing.
Just a ticket for a family of four is very "scary"
The most common "return model" is to return home as a family, and in Vancouver, it is very typical for a family of four. Unless it is a very young child (do not consider the winter and summer vacations, the air ticket is cheap), as long as you reach school age, you can only return to China during the winter and summer vacations.
Taking this summer's air ticket as an example, the cost of a round-trip air ticket for Air Canada per person is about 3,000~3,500 Canadian dollars, and the round-trip ticket cost for a family of four alone is already an astonishing 12,000~14,000 Canadian dollars, equivalent to 6.3~74,000 yuan!
What, because with children, thinking about buying premium economy or business class? The total cost of the former is 150,000, and the latter is even more astronomical. Of course, this is nothing for the really rich, but if you ask the current air ticket price, what percentage of Chinese Canadians can feel that it is not expensive?
If you return to China alone, you can choose the off-season, but even if it is the off-season, it will cost about 2,000 Canadian dollars to go back and forth, which is more than 3 times that before the epidemic.
Coupled with shopping and entertainment, it is easy to "break 100,000"
Let's continue to talk about a family of four or a family of three, if you haven't returned to China for many years, just like the owner said, you always have to buy a box of gifts, right? For example, in Canada, Archaeopteryx, geese, and Lululemon are common to spend thousands of dollars.
It's hard to return to China, and it's to bring the children back to China, so you have to go to some playgrounds, right? For example, Shanghai Disneyland and Guangzhou Chimelong, the cost of tickets, food and accommodation is thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan.
Even if it is to return to China for three weeks, plus the expenses of air tickets, entertainment, gifts, visiting relatives and friends, treats, etc., it can easily break 100,000 yuan. This is really a lot of money for a not-so-wealthy family with a high mortgage and children's education expenses.
If you save 100,000 RMB (20,000 Canadian dollars), you can save months on your mortgage, several years on land taxes, two years on food, and several years on gas and car insurance. If you return to China, these 100,000 "disappear in an instant".
In the comment area, some netizens said frankly: "Now I understand, it's really not that I'm not unfilial, but it's really too expensive to return to China." When I told my family in China the truth, they understood my struggle. ”
Even if money is not an issue, you don't want to spend "unjustly money"
There is also a group of Chinese Canadians who have not returned to China for a long time, not necessarily because they can't afford to pay for air tickets, but feel that it is cost-effective to return to China at the current high fares, just like fish on the board.
They are convinced that relations between China and Canada will soon improve, that flights will resume soon, or even "suddenly" one day, and thus greatly reduce fares – this idea is mostly a pipe dream, but what if it comes true? If it is not imminent to return to China, you might as well be a "wait party".
Three or four times the pre-pandemic ticket price, it's not something that people can just click on the buy button. Transit home? Whether it is transferred to Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, or Taiwan, it can only be slightly cheaper.
Because you don't want to go back to China? Relatives and friends in China may have a different opinion
Since it is so expensive to return to China, why do Chinese people who do not have enough money choose to return to China? On the one hand, it is out of filial piety, out of homesickness, and on the other hand, it is because of face.
Some netizens said frankly: "It is impossible for my parents and fellow villagers to believe that you immigrated to Canada, but you are living a difficult life, it is impossible to believe that Canada is a developed country, but you can't have enough food and clothing, if you don't come back on the grounds that you can't afford to go back to your country, it must be very bad." ”
Especially parents, when they know that you can't return to China because of shyness, they will not only question, but may also be sad, feeling that you made the wrong choice to go abroad in the first place and should not go abroad - in short, it is difficult to convince relatives and friends back home that "returning to China is expensive".
As for your friends or classmates who used to be in China, they often think that you are "difficult to climb" after going abroad, as if you are already a wealthy and successful person, and if they also know that you do not return to China because it is too expensive...... I'm afraid you're going to lose face.
When will it be cheaper to return home? No one dares to pack tickets, no one even dares to guess anymore, they can only take one step at a time, and can only hope when a miracle will come......