A Beijing-based bank employee recently complained that he is under great living pressure despite an annual income of 200,000 yuan, claiming that he is living at the bottom of society, according to reports by ifeng.com and many other media outlets. His complaint has raised heated discussions among Chinese netizens.

In fact, complaints about being poor have become quite common on Web portals, forums, and micro-blogs in recent years. Complaints such as "Earn at least 10,000 yuan a month before falling in love" and "Own at least two houses and a car before getting married" all aroused intense discussions on the Internet.

A Beijing-based NetEase user said that although it is a bit of an exaggeration to say that young people earning 200,000 yuan a year in first-tier cities are still living at the bottom of society, the complaint has somewhat reflected the great living pressure facing today��s young people.

"An ordinary young person with an annual salary of 200,000 yuan needs to work hard for 10 years to save up enough money for a house in Beijing," the user said.

A mobile phone user commented on Sohu that the ongoing wave of complaints about being poor and heated discussions among Internet users actually reflect young people��s feelings of helplessness in the process of striving for an ideal life.

However, an Internet user said on minyi.net.cn that many people have attributed the wave of complaints about being poor to heavy living pressure, but failed to realize that high expectations, insatiable desires, unsuitable frames of reference can all cause great pressure.

"Young people in China are expected to buy a house immediately after graduation. It would be strange if fresh college graduates who always fantasized about driving luxury cars and wearing branded clothing did not complain about being poor. No country can ensure that all of its citizens can have such a high standard of living," the Internet user said.

"Many young people keep complaining about being poor probably because of an overly wide gap between the rich and poor. However, the most likely reason is that they do not have independent personalities or their own ideals, and always want what others have. Today��s young people could have lived a happy life and spent a lot of time and energy improving themselves, but many of them have chosen to waste their time grumbling," said a Sina user, who claimed to be born in the 1950s.

"Certain people complaining about being poor are just showing off in a hypocritical and irresponsible way, without considering the social feelings of most ordinary people. Their complaints will only make an already materialistic society even more materialistic, and cause young people with poor judgment to berate themselves. This is not good for their healthy growth," another mobile phone user commented on Sohu.

"Cherish your life, stay away from complaints about being poor," Sina user "Xiaodan" said, adding that she and her husband have worked in Beijing for five years, and their combined annual income is just around 100,000 yuan, but they are still living a happy life. "Young people must learn to find their own source of happiness, and should not feel sad or self-satisfied just because of those complaints. Sometimes, happiness is very simple."