I read an article in The Straits Times today on how a 50 year old Chinese plumber makes RMB10,000 a month clearing drains in Wuhan, Hubei, China. This is about S$2,000 and about 5 times more than what a fresh graduate in China is able to command as an office executive. The plumber has saved enough money to buy a car and pay off his mortgage, feats which Chinese office executives are envious of. So, could we expect more graduates to become plumbers in China? Most unlikely. It was reported that fresh graduates in China would rather remain unemployed than to take up a job that involves menial labour. A fresh graduate, after six months of being jobless, admitted that he could get a job as a blue-collar worker which would pay well but he would rather not do it. Why? It would not sound good when he tells people ......