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Thirst for riches shows misplaced priorities
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AMONG seven young ladies who walked alone one recent night in Beijing, five accepted a man’s invitation almost without hesitation to get into his 5 million yuan (US$800,000) sports car when they were hit on by the stranger, a domestic website reported recently.
It turns out the website was conducting a test of sorts. One of its employees drove the luxury car for his night hunting, and the score was not bad. Some of the young women told the website later that they trusted the driver because he must be a good person. One of them even asked the lucky guy, “Hi dear, why not leave me your phone number?”
Their logic was quite simple and clear, if not flawed — a man who drives a car like that is definitely a winner in life. How could a bad guy afford a car worth millions of yuan, since many of us are told repeatedly that a winner needs to own both high IQ and EQ?
It seems that wealth brings us a sense of safety and trustworthiness. When the same employee drove a homemade micro car to hit on girls on the same street on another occasion, he got no takers.
If a man is backed by a considerable fortune, he is very likely reliable and benevolent, or so the thinking seems to go. He might also be quite impressive in some women’s eyes. To make it clearer, a sizable fortune is the key. Without it, their feeling might be totally different.
Marrying a billionaire
The latest episode of a popular matchmaking TV program suggested the assumption was not groundless.
A man who owns three companies and has an estimated eight-figure income was warmly welcomed by almost all the women guests on the show.
One of them even asked the man, “Will you give me seven among the eight figures if I date with you?”
Marrying a billionaire is what these women dreamed of, and perhaps a casual encounter in a 5 million yuan car is the best way for a Chinese Cinderella to make her dream come true.
It is not difficult to understand that Wendi Deng was once a Chinese idol of success. Many think her greatest achievement was to marry media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The marriage between Deng and Murdoch lasted 14 years, double the seven-year itch, which had made Deng’s story an inspirational one. However, Murdoch revealed Deng had relationship with someone else after he divorced her last November.
During a recent interview in Beijing, Lynn Forester de Rothschild told China Entrepreneur magazine that a woman shall never marry someone because of money. “If some people marry for money, they have to pay for it in the rest of their lives,” she said.
Meaning of wealth
A successful businesswoman, Mrs. Rothschild married Evelyn de Rothschild in 2000 when she was 46. As a member of a family with 250 years of history and inheritance, she may have a profound understanding of wealth and its meaning.
Her former boss, John W. Kluge (1914-2010), told her: “Do not always think about money. Think about the vision you wish to create; think about what you are willing to fight for when you wake up in the morning. Money comes after them.” Kluge was at one time the richest person in America.
Whether Mrs. Rothschild’s story would awaken someone who dreams of marrying a rich man is in doubt.
But many of us have taken some ridiculous views for granted, which is why Deng’s story was once considered a legend in many people’s eyes. They are all about money and power.
Since China carried out its reform and opening-up policy, some have accumulated unimaginable new wealth in an unimaginably short period.
That’s why many ambitious men wish to replicate Jack Ma and Pony Ma’s success, like their counterparts who wish to become another Wendi Deng.
Confucius said a gentleman makes money in the right way. President Xi Jinping says a better life is built on hard work. Indeed, the right way to succeed is hard work and honesty.
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