Something happened, the director runs ride‑hailing!?! Beijing boss recruited for a day, cried at night!? He just wants to be the first! Qiqi bababa TALK Episode 976 20260921

This episode is reported and commented on by Qiqi, covering topics such as the phenomenon of involution among food delivery riders, the former director of the Qinghai Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism who was dismissed after causing a death due to illegal drinking and is now making a living as a ride-hailing driver, an analysis of power operations under the centralized system of Xi Jinping, a video test on the purchasing power of wages for outsourced security guards in Germany, and a discussion on the current severe employment market and economic downturn in China triggered by a Beijing job posting offering only 4,000 yuan for a cashier with ten years of experience.

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Hello everyone, welcome to Qiqi Talk, I am Qiqi. It is 11:50, this order is delivered, I am done, I am tired and sleepy. Look at these eyes. For JD, I ran 18 orders, making 101.61 yuan; for Meituan, I ran 16 orders, making 95.5 yuan, still a few yuan short of 200, I am not running anymore, I am sleepy. Oh my, even if the time spent running is long enough, the money earned is not much, it is really hard to make 200 yuan now! Look at this.

The comment section is full of people asking if the aunties could stop coming out to join the rat race? Because after this group of aunties broke into this track, they say that 2 yuan per order might appear soon. Because no matter how low the unit price is, they are willing to take it, so they will disrupt the market. Hmm, isn't this one of the causes of involution? Right? But the current employment situation in China is just like this, old ladies and old men also have to come out to work. Then you say, can they only go sweep the streets? Hey, they found that running food delivery earns more than sweeping the streets. Right? And perhaps in terms of hardship, sweeping the streets is even harder. After all, as everyone knows, the old men and women sweeping the streets still have to wear those electronic shackles, being monitored at any time, right? When you run food delivery, at least, you can deliver if you want to, and if you don't want to, no one is forcing you. But the most outrageous thing is, you would never imagine that when you call a ride-hailing car, you could end up in a car where the driver is the former director of the Qinghai Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.

Look, the total area of our Qinghai Province is 722,300 square kilometers, the fourth largest province in the country. It is over 1,200 kilometers long from east to west, and over 800 kilometers wide from north to south, with a resident population of 5.96 million. According to administrative divisions, look, our Qinghai is divided into eight major areas. Ah, you might have come to Qinghai for a business trip, right?

[Video clip] Ah! Yes.

[Video Clip] Ah, you haven't paid attention to the administrative divisions of our Qinghai, but they are actually very easy to remember. Although our Qinghai administrative divisions consist of eight major areas, they are easy to memorize. Let me explain, and you will understand. They are centered around Qinghai Lake, forming five regions. Ah, we are currently in Xining City, right? Ah, you. If you go east, towards the Caojiabu Airport area, that is Haidong. You can understand Haidong as the eastern region of Qinghai Province, right? If you are here for tourism, you might want to go west, because our Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop is very famous. Heading west, all the way from Xining, you reach the Erlangjian or Heimahe scenic areas of Qinghai Lake. This is from the south of Qinghai Lake, which is the cliff scenic area and Xiannuwan scenic area of the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. This side here is Haibei; to the north of Qinghai Lake is the Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Chaka Salt Lake, Emerald Lake, Dongtai Jinai'er Lake, Cha'erhan Salt Lake, Heidu Mountain 315. There are no devil's eye water eyes, these scenic spots are in Haixi. Haixi is where the Mongol and Tibetan ethnic groups are concentrated. You see, there is Haidong, Haixi, Hainan, and Haibei, with Xining in the middle, right? This is East, West, South, and North surrounding Xining, except you just add the word 'Hai' (Sea) in front: Haidong, Haixi, Hainan, Haibei, with Xining in the middle, right? East, West, South, North surrounding Xi, East, West, South, North surrounding Xi, that makes five regions, right? We also have three purely Tibetan autonomous prefectures. These three Tibetan autonomous prefectures have altitudes similar to Tibet, but they are not Tibet. The beef and mutton are very delicious, but they are also not Xinjiang. They are our Qinghai's 'Huangguoshu' (Yellow Fruit Tree) region. We borrowed the name of the Huangguoshu Waterfall scenic area in Guizhou to remember these three Tibetan autonomous prefectures, ah, it's convenient and easy to remember. 'Huang' represents the Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 'Guo' is the Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and 'Shu' is the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, ah. Yushu is a very famous place! This is our Qinghai's Huangguoshu. You see, easy to remember, right? East, West, South, North surrounding Xi, plus a Huangguoshu, these are the eight major parts of Qinghai's administrative divisions.

[Video Clip] Yes.

[Video Clip] Ah, is it easy to remember? Yes. Next time you come to Xining, you will know. Oh, I went to Haixi, that is the western region of Qinghai, right?

[Video Clip] Ah, hmm.

[Video Clip] Hainan, right? The southern region of Qinghai, right? East, West, South, North surrounding Xi, plus a Huangguoshu. Our Qinghai Province has a total population of 5.96 million, of which 72.03% are Han Chinese, ah, and the rest are ethnic minorities. The largest ethnic minority is the Tibetan group, you see there are five Tibetan autonomous prefectures, right? Ah, the second largest ethnic minority is the Hui group, the third largest is the Mongol group, and there are two unique ethnic minorities that don't exist elsewhere. One is the Tu group, and the other is the Salar group. Both of these ethnic groups have their own languages but no written scripts of their own. The Tu group believes in Tibetan Buddhism, and the Salar group believes in Islam. You might be a bit unfamiliar with the Salar group, but aren't there many Lanzhou Ramen restaurants where you are?

[Video Clip] Ah, yes.

[Video Clip] Lanzhou Ramen is all operated by Hui and Salar people from Qinghai; it has nothing to do with Gansu or Lanzhou. Lanzhou Beef Noodles are actually opened by people from Gansu and Lanzhou, that's how it is. This Salar group is the one where they wear headscarves, and you can't understand what they are saying, that's it.

[Video Clip] Ah, aren't those who wear headscarves all Hui people?

[Video Clip] Hey, the Salar people wear them too.

[Video Clip] Ah.

[Video Clip] Well, regarding the colors of the wrappers—flesh-colored, pink, you should pay attention, there are also white ones, depending on the age group. There are also black ones and dark green ones; the color of the wrapper varies according to the age stage, that's how it is. Ah, look, our Xining City has 2.49 million people, and Haidong City has 1.62 million. So, Xining and Haidong combined have over 4 million people, accounting for 82% of the province's total population. The population is very large. Why is that? It's because Xining and Haidong have relatively lower altitudes compared to the rest of the province, making them more livable. They are also traditional agricultural areas, known as the Hehuang Valley. 'Huang' is written with the water radical and the character for 'emperor', not the 'huang' for the color yellow. Uh, it is a traditional agricultural area. Starting from Xining and heading west for 93 kilometers, there is a mountain called Riyue Mountain. This mountain is actually the dividing line between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Loess Plateau, and it is also the watershed for agriculture and animal husbandry in our Qinghai Province. To the east is agriculture, and to the west is animal husbandry; it is very distinct. Once you cross Riyue Mountain, you can see herds of yaks and sheep. Remember, our cattle are called yaks (maoniu), we call them yaks. The 'little potatoes' (tourists) from the south always call our yaks 'haoniu' (oyster sauce cattle); they ask, 'What's wrong with your haoniu?' I tell them, 'You use oyster sauce (haoyou) for cooking, our cattle are yaks (maoniu), with a 'mao' sound, not 'hao' like a mouse.'

The reason this person was dismissed was for violating alcohol regulations. I looked into his case; he was at the Party School, and while they were drinking together at the table, one of his companions passed away because of it. So, I don't know whether to say this department-level official has a high tolerance for alcohol or if he was just unlucky. Now, he has no other choice. Look, after a department-level official is dismissed, he can't even get a basic, low-level job within the system to scrape by; he actually has to choose between being a ride-hailing driver or a food delivery rider, friends. So, many people think that officials in China are particularly imposing, that these 'masters' are so powerful. Many Chinese people even say that it's the people below doing bad things, and the people above are simply being kept in the dark. Actually, I have emphasized this many times: in an authoritarian, dictatorial country, except for the person at the very top, no one truly holds power in their hands. It is impossible for the things the people below do to be 100% hidden from those above, or hidden forever. Why are they allowed to stay there after doing those things? It's because it's tacitly approved, because the power the people below are currently using is given to them by those above. Essentially, it belongs to those above, so it can be taken back at any time. Since Mao Zedong, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has not seen a situation where one single person makes all the decisions across China; it has basically been a power group, basically a power group that calls the shots. But now you see Xi Jinping, and we can clearly feel that he wants to be the one person who calls the shots, rather than a power group. So, we look at his various maneuvers; he is clearing out people who get in his way, and he is trying to find ways to keep power in his own hands. This is also one of the reasons why he sincerely envies Kim Jong-un. Um, the most important reason. The German vlogger I showed you yesterday actually tested the purchasing power of a security guard's salary. Honestly, I think him specifically seeking out cleaners, security guards, and the like is truly full of malice.

[Video Clip · Security Guard] The hourly wage for security guards is generally between 15 and 19 euros. I chatted with a security guard at our company this afternoon; since he is an internal employee and not on an outsourced contract, his salary isn't very representative. His hourly wage is about 18 euros, which increases slightly with years of service. However, we will still calculate based on the minimum standard of 15 euros. Although it is an outsourced company, according to German law, they are legally entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave and six weeks of paid sick leave, and the employer is required to pay half of the five social insurances and one housing fund. This means that after deducting personal income tax, nursing insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance, and pension insurance, the take-home pay is about 11 to 12 euros per hour. Today, we will use the take-home pay for two hours, which is about 22 to 24 euros, to challenge how many supplies we can buy at a German supermarket. We are increasing the difficulty of the challenge today; we will shop at Hevo, a mid-to-high-end supermarket in Germany. Let's go. As per the usual rules, we'll push a small cart first. I'm so nervous, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold it, I almost lost my grip on the cart. Let's start with two New Zealand-grown yellow kiwis, 0.65 euros each, let's get two. Fruit and vegetables are too expensive, so we'll just eat something cheap. Let's go straight to the staples; this baguette is only 0.99 euros, this is our version of mantou (steamed bun) back home, eaten as a staple. No, no, let's get a staple, let's get some bread, 1.29 euros, rye bread, grab some tongs. You can choose.

[Video Clip] Thick, medium, uh, thin, thick, medium, uh, medium, I guess.

[Video Clip · Security Guard] 1.29, so much, dry bread, this is whole wheat, very chewy.

[Video Clip] Let's get another butter toast, 0.89 euros, so much, 500 grams.

[Video Clip · Security Guard] Look at this salmon, it looks good, it's 250 grams, which is half a jin (250g), it's 4.99 euros, equivalent to 10 euros per jin, still a bit expensive. The origin says it's produced in Norway, not bad, let's get a box. Hey, I found that fruit meeting EU standards isn't that expensive either.

[Video Clip] Now, do your shoes meet EU standards?

[Video Clip · Security Guard] Of course, this is a mainstream EU brand.

[Video Clip] The 14-day aged beef on the back, this box is 5.39, this is also half a jin, 250 grams. This is beef rump, this big chunk of fat looks quite fragrant. This is 283 grams, 7.64 euros, let's get one. It's written on it that it was born and slaughtered in Germany. So you can trace its origin, and its husbandry level is 3; 3 means free-range cattle, with better ventilation and living conditions. Let's get a steak, a box of marinated pork ribs, this is 577 grams, 5.76 euros, 10 euros per kilogram, just put it in the oven and roast it directly. This is a brand, their taste is very good, they specialize in beef barbecue and pork barbecue. Okay, let's get one, wow, what is this? Blanched beef tripe, 3.02 euros a box, a whole pig's trotter already cut for you, 1.67 euros a box. Foreigners can't afford fruit and vegetables, so they can only eat these scraps, they can only eat some meat. Let's go see other things. What is this? Magnum, this box of three large ones is 3 euros, or six small ones are also 3 euros, the value for money is okay. But our budget is limited, so we won't buy this kind of dessert. Let's solve the survival problem first. Finally, let's get a pizza to wrap it up! Finally, pepperoni, salami, cheese, spinach, chili, oh, and a pineapple ham pizza, let's get one box! This box is 1.99, enough for two people or one person to get full. Finally, we can only get one bottle of milk.

Qiqi Baba TALK Episode 976, 20260921.

[Video Clip · Security Guard] This is a one-liter bottle, 0.99 euros, 3.8% fat, which is equivalent to whole milk. We have finished buying everything, let's go to checkout. The purchasing power of a security guard from an outsourced company for two hours of work is as follows: one box of pizza, a large bag of dry bread, a strip of marinated roasted ribs, a box of salmon, a box of steak, a bag of butter toast, um, one liter of whole milk, two kiwis, totaling 24.85 euros, which includes 7% tax. The purchasing power is amazing. But since I usually need to eat in the cafeteria, I bought these things at my own expense, I don't really need them, I can't cook at home, now I'll pack them up and give them to my security guard.

[Video Clip] Good brother, okay. What a pity.

[Video Clip: Security Guard] My security guard buddy got off work, and I wanted to give some food to another guard on duty. But that guy is Turkish; he saw my pizza had ham and pork chops, and since he doesn't eat pork, he declined my offer. Since I didn't manage to give the food away, and I bought nothing but scraps that the security guard wouldn't eat anyway, plus I went over budget by 0.85 euros, this challenge was basically a success. In Germany, at an outsourcing company.

This salary should be his actual take-home pay, meaning it's after taxes. To be fair, the European economy is currently very sluggish, yes, very bad. But I think compared to the situation in China, the gap is actually quite significant, because the situation in China has really become that bad.

[Video Clip: HR] I've been in a very bad mood regarding recruitment these past two days. A cashier position in Beijing, over ten years of experience, salary 4,000 yuan before tax. He quoted me 4,000 yuan himself, and it wasn't just one person; about seven or eight people all quoted me 4,000 yuan. They were all at that standard. I don't understand. At first, I was feeling smug and proud of myself, thinking how cost-effective it was to hire someone for only 4,000 yuan! In the afternoon, I did the math: after paying his social security in Beijing, he only has about 3,200 yuan left in his hands. Renting a room costs 1,500. Subway, bus, communication costs, internet fees, everything else, plus personal toiletries—I'll calculate that at 300 yuan—leaving him with 1,400 yuan. What does 1,400 yuan mean in Beijing? He can only spend about 40 yuan a day. A rice bowl for lunch costs over 30. How is he supposed to survive? How is he supposed to survive? He must be living so miserably! These are other people's children, too. I don't understand, where have we developed to?

Let's not even talk about this for now, about how people are selling themselves so cheaply. Did you see the number of applicants? Ten years of experience. Interviewing. There are so many people who meet these criteria looking for work. I think in a normal society, someone with this level of ability or years of work experience shouldn't be so abundant in the market, right? Because even if someone quits or wants to change jobs, there wouldn't be so many, right? So I can only say that China's current economic market is really scary. Because even experienced workers with threshold requirements can't even get job security. What about the newcomers? So now, college students really have nowhere to go! They can't even find a job with a monthly salary of 3,000, and graduates, people with over ten years of experience, are only asking for 4,000 a month, and you can find them anywhere. So tell me, why would this company want a fresh graduate who isn't familiar with anything and doesn't know how to do anything? Alright, that's all for this episode. If you want to support me, please join the membership channel. I especially hope that I can chat and talk with you in real-time during the next member-only live stream. That's it for this episode, see you next time.