China's Gini coefficient is too large, and the distribution of social classes is extremely unequal, so unequal that most people have no awareness of this inequality at all.

For example, programmers with an annual income of 2 million and assets of over 20 million are always watching executive A start a business, executive B raise funds, and executive C switch to VC—each with assets 50 to 5,000 times their own—yet they still feel poor every day.

Another example: in a county where the monthly salary is 10,000, people brag over drinks and spend all their savings on a BMW 3 Series, thinking they are the richest, most awesome, and happiest people in the world.

So why does Tim think his family has no money?

Because the people he grew up with all went to high school in the UK, Australia, or Canada, studied arts or humanities in college, never touched STEM subjects, never did problem sets—just hired someone to make a portfolio for them, studied whatever they wanted, and all got into top 100 QS-ranked schools.

They all had tens of thousands in pocket money, could ask their parents for sponsorship for big purchases, did whatever they wanted, bought a camera with their own money, and had to ask their parents for approval to buy a nice car.

Flying for vacations, taking Instagram photos at tourist spots, collecting Michelin check-ins, and buying one or two trendy fashion items every month were all just routine expenses.

So maybe Tim really doesn’t think his family is that wealthy, because everyone he hangs out with spends like this and comes from similar backgrounds.

In other words, maybe he’s genuinely never seen poor people and really thinks his family is just average.