Shanghai's high- and middle-income earners appear to be much more open to non-traditional living arrangements than their compatriots, according to a recent survey.

The survey of 1,374 high- and middle-income earners aged between 20 and 50 living in Shanghai and nine other major cities showed that 50.75 percent of the Shanghai respondents considered single living to be fashionable, slightly higher than the national average of 50 percent.

In addition, 26.12 percent of the Shanghai respondents said they would like to be part of a "weekend couple," an arrangement under which a wife and husband live together only on weekends. The national average was 17.98 percent.

Over 32 percent of the Shanghai respondents said they accepted the idea of "sunset love," or love between the elderly. That figure is much higher than the national average of 24.96 percent.

Gu Xiaoming, a professor from Fudan University, said the results were not surprising. "Shanghai people are very open to new things and like trying new lifestyles. "

As more young and better-off people move to the city looking to take advantage of its openness and quick tempo, the number of faddists should grow, he added.

"It is very likely that some new lifestyles will emerge in Shanghai first and spread to other cities," Gu said.

The poll, conducted by the Horizon Research Consultancy Group and the Fashion Group, defines the high- and middle-income earning segment of Shanghai and other first-tier cities as people who earn at least 3,000 yuan (US$384) a month. Respondents in second-tier cities earned at least 1,800 yuan (US$230) a month.

Shanghai people also appear to have different ideas about what constitutes a fashionable occupation, according to the survey.

Over 35 percent of the Shanghai respondents said modeling is the most fashionable occupation. They said public servants and doctors are the least fashionable.

"Shanghai is a big show place. It is a very dense city, so faddists certainly want to showcase themselves," Gu said.

Over 10 percent of the people polled around the country described working as a professional manager as fashionable. Only 1.49 percent of the Shanghai polled said working as a manager is fashionable.

Gu said that because so many Shanghai people are affluent and hedonistic, people in that city tend to think that working as a professional manager is too tough to be enjoyable, much less fashionable.

The professor urged Shanghai people to be less superficial and prone to fads. Shanghai people should choose their fashions according to their own culture, rather than copying other cities abroad, he said.

"Even though Shanghai people can afford to live fashionable lifestyles, they do not contribute to the development of their own culture," Gu said.

(China Daily December 27, 2006)