In 2012, it was the Year of the Dragon again. During the leisure time of the Spring Festival, many citizens decided to treat themselves well. Mobile phones, computers, digital cameras, cars... from thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan, all became the "necessities" for citizens' consumption. However, in 1988, 24 years ago, these were unimaginable "luxury goods." At that time when materials were relatively scarce, buying a 17-inch black-and-white TV would cost an ordinary family's entire year's savings. Over the past 20 years, from black-and-white TVs to motorcycles, and then to cars, each consumer good has been deeply imprinted with the mark of its era.
**1988 Consumption Keyword: Black-and-White Television**
In that era, tape recorders and bicycles had already entered the homes of ordinary people, but televisions were still only affordable by those with better financial conditions. Owning a black-and-white TV was the aspiration of many families with lower incomes. Aunt Liang, who works at a unit in Shannxin Town, Xingye County, reminisced emotionally about her family’s 17-inch "Meimei" brand black-and-white TV. In early 1987, she and her husband had just gotten married, and they had a simple wish: to buy a black-and-white TV so they could watch programs at home in the evening. They agreed not to hold a wedding banquet and saved every penny. That year, both of them saved 20 yuan out of their monthly salaries of a few dozen yuan each, saving up for an entire year, accumulating more than 400 yuan. On New Year's Day in 1988, taking advantage of the holiday, Aunt Liang and her husband took the midnight train to Nanning to buy a cost-effective black-and-white TV.
After arriving in Nanning, Aunt Liang and her husband went straight to the television counter at the department store. "At the time, I couldn't take my eyes off the colorful images on the color TVs, but seeing the price tag of 2,000 yuan immediately brought me back to reality," Aunt Liang said. After looking around for several hours, they spent 400 yuan to buy a "Meimei" brand black-and-white TV. The two of them carried the TV and prepared to take the train back to Yulin, but they were told that large items needed to be checked as baggage. Thus, they hurriedly arranged for the TV to be shipped, almost missing their train back to Yulin.
"Nowadays, televisions have long since been upgraded and replaced; LCD and 3D color TVs are popular, but that black-and-white TV is still a treasure in our home. After all, it was bought with a whole year's worth of savings," Aunt Liang remarked.
**2000 Consumption Keyword: Motorcycle**
"It's several kilometers from my house to the town, and it takes over half an hour to ride a bicycle. It's very inconvenient. Whenever I took chickens to sell, I always had to borrow someone else's motorcycle. During the Spring Festival of 2000, I made up my mind, used up three years' worth of savings, and bought a nearly ten-thousand-yuan motorcycle." Uncle Li from Hengfeng Village, Shinan Town, Xingye County, became one of the earliest villagers to own a motorcycle that year.
In 1998, Uncle Li had already planned to buy a motorcycle, but no matter how hard he tried to save, he couldn’t accumulate enough money to buy one. "At the time, I heard that my younger brother who worked in the city wanted to sell his old motorcycle to buy a new one, so I reserved his motorcycle. Unexpectedly, another relative beat me to it," Uncle Li regretfully recalled. He could only continue to try his best to save money.
After buying the motorcycle in 2000, Uncle Li often rode it between the village and the town, feeling an indescribable satisfaction. With the motorcycle, traveling in and out of the village became convenient, and things from his home could be sold in a timely manner. Life gradually improved as the days passed with the coming and going of the motorcycle.
By 2000, the market economy had become quite developed, and motorcycles, washing machines, and mobile phones were all available. However, due to their high prices, which could reach tens of thousands of yuan, they remained out of reach for ordinary people. Those who could afford these "luxuries" were often the first to get rich thanks to the reform and opening-up policies.
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