Wild North America 1846

Chapter 563 Prices and Commoner Income Levels

After running around all morning, when it was time to eat at noon, Li Cha really felt hungry. He hadn't felt so hungry for a long time.

Stick noodle porridge and steamed buns really didn't make him hungry, so he found a restaurant outside the wharf and prepared to eat to his heart's content.

In the past two days, he has experienced the lively and fragrant life of the people at the bottom, which has given him a real understanding of the current level of economic development in the empire;
This is a prosperous emerging economy, full of opportunities everywhere, full of high-spirited vitality, but it is not as beautiful and rich as imagined.

Take the British Empire as an example;
The period from 1860 to 1870 in the UK was the most glorious peak of the Victorian period. In the past 10 years, the income of the British people had a rapid growth of about 10% to 15% every year, and the overall income level doubled and a half. For improvement.

In 1870, the overall growth rate of the British economy dropped to about 1%, which brought the 10-year high income growth to an end, and the rest was a long period of decline.

Average down
The income of ordinary people in the Tang Empire is about half of the level of the British mainland, almost the level of France, and about double that of the Kingdom of Prussia. There is still a lot of room for growth, but it is already at the top level in the world.

The currency value of the Tang Empire is linked to gold, there is no inflation, and the purchasing power of the currency is surprisingly high.

One yuan was worth about one tael of silver during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. The average annual income of ordinary workers in the empire was 77.2 Tang yuan. The income level of the imperial capital Chang’an was higher, reaching 109.5 yuan per capita, worth about 28 pounds 10 shillings, which was the highest average income level. City.

In the homes of a dozen families in Dazayuan
There are only three households with an annual income of more than 100 yuan. One owner is a low-level government employee, one runs a sesame seed shop, and one is a senior mold sander at the Royal Chang'an Mint. The other households are all under [-] yuan.

The reason why the average level of the imperial capital Chang'an is so high is because there are a large number of top dignitaries, imperial government departments and world-class companies gathered here.

Los Angeles, the largest city with the second highest resident income, has always been famous for its affluence. Three of the four major oil companies in the empire are headquartered here. The per capita salary is only 91.2 yuan, which is a lot worse than the imperial capital Chang'an.

The million-dollar city with the lowest annual income of residents is Mexico City, with per capita salary income of only 64.37 yuan, which is lower than the average annual income of the empire.

This is because in the vast central region of North America and the relatively developed provinces along the Pacific coast, ordinary farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers have benefited from the vigorous grain market in recent years, and their average annual salary income is not low.

The area of ​​these areas is less than 20%, but the population accounts for more than 2/3 of the empire, and the average income is higher than the national level, with an average annual income of 84.6 yuan.

Behind are Central and South America, as well as several overseas provinces, where incomes are generally lower than the national average.

in the restaurant
Li Cha ordered a stewed beef with potatoes, a large yellow croaker with green onions weighing 4 catties, grilled lamb chops, a plate of assorted fungus vegetables, a pot of Shaoxing rice wine, and a plate of toasted bread. For a dime, this portion is enough to feed 1 people.

He sat alone in the private seat separated by the screen, eating the soup dripping with joy.

The stewed beef with potatoes served in the casserole is full of weight. The large pieces of beef stew are soft and chewy. The potatoes soaked in juice are soft and delicious, and the thick sauce is also very delicious when dipped in toasted bread.

There is also a large plate of large yellow croaker with green onions weighing 4 catties. This is a real marine wild animal. The fish meat with garlic cloves is extremely tender. This plate only costs 6 cents a dime, how cheap?

In this era, wild large yellow croakers are common drinks, and it is not unusual at all.

Not to mention the weight of 4 catties, even more than 40 catties are common. It is one of the largest marine fish species that fishing boats go to sea to catch.

A single two-pound can of salted yellow croaker in Seattle is a famous brand product exported to Europe. The price in London has reached 1 shilling and 6 pence, worth about 3 cents and 3 cents, which is quite high.

Because this kind of canned yellow croaker has no thorns, it only has a slight salty taste after salting, which adds to the freshness of the meat.

While enjoying the feast, Li Cha devoted himself to listening to the chats of the guests in the restaurant. This could be regarded as a way to go deep into the grassroots to understand the situation.

The people who eat in this restaurant are all people around the pier, and the topics of discussion are naturally inseparable from the things on the pier.

There is a big wave of relationships for dinner. Some merchants are looking for warehouses, some shipping companies are looking for unloading schedules, and some car owners are looking for advice. Familiar contacts and relationships, and unfamiliar ones will become familiar after changing cups.

There are also German merchants entertaining guests here, and they do as the Romans do, playing games according to the rules of the Chinese world.

After listening for a while, Li Cha also smiled, and turned his mind out of the window.

This time, he was still sitting on the seat next to the window, but it was only in the private seat on the second floor. From here, he could see the loaded trucks and heavy-duty carriages rushing out to their respective unloading warehouses.

There are many kinds of goods in the bulk cargo terminal, most of which cannot be stored in the open air, so there are also many warehouses. There are warehouse areas on both sides of the street near the terminal, and there are densely packed trading houses along the street. how many.

Correspondingly, there are many taverns, teahouses, hostels, brothels and brothels, forming a quite lively neighborhood, where you can see all kinds of people, such as British and French managers of trading firms, and Italians pulling carts. The people and the Irish, the Dutch shipowners or the Fuso whores, it's just bustling.

Fuso women's unique kimono and men's Tsukiyotou are very recognizable, but they are generally looked down upon on the street.

The two patrolmen were bored, so they gathered more than 10 Fusang people, both male and female, and bowed to the passers-by.

When you pass by a pedestrian, you bow and see who lasts the longest?

As a result, the short one was only five or six minutes, and the long one lasted less than 6 minutes.

The two soldiers and police seemed to have made a bet, but the one who lost the money angrily took out his baton, and slapped each of these Fusang people several times, causing the onlookers to laugh.

Those Fuso men with Tsukiyo hair were short, they didn't have the usual samurai swords in their waists, and they kept nodding and bowing with wooden slippers on their feet, saying, "Sorry, I disappointed you sir" and "I've caused you trouble." What is the use of these words?
The traditional Fusang samurai never left his body with his sword, but this did not work in the Tang Empire.

As long as a Fusang man walks on the street with a knife on his waist, he will be stopped by the police and ordered to kneel down and hold his head in his hands for inspection.

At least the samurai swords were confiscated, and at worst they were severely beaten and thrown into prison. Those who dared to resist were killed immediately. Anyway, they were not allowed to bring any weapons, including knives and guns.

Because none of them are citizens of the Tang Empire, they have no right to hold weapons, not to mention knives and guns, longer wooden sticks have to be checked repeatedly.

While enjoying the smooth and delicious wild big yellow croaker, Li Cha leisurely drank rice wine, watched the bustle outside the window with relish, and had no intention of stopping it.

Isn't that great?
Japanese people are afraid of power but not virtuous, so the seeds of fear should be planted in their hearts early.Take obedience as the top priority, use the whip when you use the whip, and don't hesitate to use the gun to teach the lesson.

You treat Wo Nu as a person, and Wo Nu really thinks that he can do it.

In Li Cha's mind, there are rich places like docks, and taxation can be mentioned again. Isn't it beautiful that the extra financial funds are used for the construction of education or medical facilities.

Just like on Pier 9, if you just pull out the hair on your legs, you can build a few more hospitals and more than a dozen schools every year.

The value of the Tang Yuan currency in the Tang Empire was strong, and the imperial government had preferential policies for the construction of hospitals and schools. First, it reduced or exempted taxes for 5 years, and gave preferential treatment or even free land allocation. expenditure.

To build a hospital, tens of thousands of dollars is enough.

Five to six thousand yuan is enough to build a standard elementary school, that is, more than a dozen bungalows plus a playground in the middle, and the construction cost is not high.

The tuition fees paid by the students can maintain the school’s expenses for hiring teachers. The basic expenses of public schools are partially subsidized by financial appropriations. An elementary school with hundreds of students is about [-] yuan, and the shortfall is solved by donations from enthusiastic people.

Today's Chang'an City

There are more than 330 primary schools, 47 middle schools, 18 universities and various colleges, forming a relatively complete education system, including royal charity education, government-run education, private education, and religious charity schools.

some of

Both royal charity education and government-run education focus on universal education. The high-end part of private education is elite education, which is also a place where famous teachers gather. Education costs are also high, and ordinary families cannot afford it.

For example, the famous Moling College in Los Angeles is a private school with expensive fees. The annual tuition fee for a student is as high as more than 300 yuan, and there are various additional fees. of middle-class families cannot afford it.

The school has custom-made school uniforms embroidered with the name of Moling College, from hats to leather shoes, with different seasons in spring, summer, autumn and winter.Exclusive sportswear for various sports is also required, such as riding clothes for horse riding, baseball clothes for baseball, sailor clothes for boating, exercise clothes for dancing, and more.

If you participate in one more sport, you will get an extra fee for a famous teacher.

All the teachers in Moling College are famous teachers. For example, the baseball class is taught by famous retired baseball players. The salary offered by the private school is high, and the fees are of course high.

Regardless of the high price, there is still a quota limit, and if the sports conditions are not good, it will not be charged!
Just ask if you are angry?

But the more arrogant and arrogant, the more the aristocratic families of the empire flocked to her, sending their children to Moling School one after another.

(End of this chapter)