QUESTION:

What percentage of Beijing's residents are part of the floating population--the population that moves in or out of the Beijing limits each year?

a) 1/3
b) 1/5
c) 1/10
d) 1/20
e) 250%

ANSWERS:
a) Not yet, maybe after the public transportation improves.

b) Bu dui. No, but 1/5 of the people get this question as wrong as you.

c) Correct. Of the 13 million people in the Beijing municipality, one million are in the category of floating population. This does not include the swarms of Wai Di Ren (outsiders) that head home for the many important holidays. Most of the floating population is migrant workers and students. Many workers come to Beijing to find prosperity, however after failing to obtain a Hu Kou (Permanent residence permit) they saunter back from whence they came. Despite of a notable deficit of females in the past, Beijing is slowly equalizing its population in respect to gender. The male to female ratio is now about 53 to 47%.

*Reality Check: The current death rates in Beijing are relatively lower than that in other regions of China. The crude death rate (CDR) is about 6 per 1,000 people, per year in Beijing. The death rate of males is higher than that of females and that of laborers is higher than white-collar workers.

d) Think again, this time try using more than 1/20th of your brain. 250 (pronounced "er-bai-wu"), means "foolish," which is what you are if you chose this answer.