They are called "successful people" or the "social elite". They are in the prime of their lives and careers. About 30 years of age, they have a high education, high incomes and high social status. They work in managerial capacities in government, business or cultural organizations.

It is not hard to spot them. Often dressed in Italian suits, they appear in downtown business districts. They are constantly on their cell phones while waiting in five-star hotel lounges. They tend to have receding hairlines and bulging waistlines. They are perceived as the "creme de la creme" and the top of society.

People who don't know such successful career men will envy them and their lifestyles, but those close to them tend to have sympathy for them.

"The last forbidden area for men is not drugs or sex, but extreme pressure," said Zhang Xichao, a teacher at the Psychology Institute of Beijing Normal University.

An annual study of 3,000 business leaders, which started in 1993, has revealed that they are encountering more and more health problems, including psychological ones.

All of them work more than eight hours a day, and the average work time is increasing each year. On average, they work 11.23 hours a day and study some 2.14 hours more.

Professor Hong Zhaoguang, nicknamed "priest of health", explained that there are four reasons for successful men's deteriorating health: They don't shed tears; they don't speak up about private matters; they don't like to go to the doctor; and they don't like to go home.

"These men usually repress their personal feelings when frustrated. They are under enormous pressure from all sides. But they would like to keep the facade of calmness," said Li Lan, an officer with the agency that has been conducting the study.

These men cannot afford to let their hair down in front of their family members or those close to them. Dining out is part of the job, which is time-consuming and hardly beneficial to one's health. Then there is the temptation of mistresses or women who desperately seek "successful men" no matter whether they are married or not.

Zhang Wanli, associate professor at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, attributes the anxiety to extremely high self-expectation, pressure caused by a society in transition, and a lack of belonging.

These men spend so much time schmoozing with business clients or government officials that communication takes much more of their time than decision-making, says Zhang.

On the other hand, they do not have an outlet to vent their pent-up emotions. When asked whom they talk to when having difficulties, more than 40 per cent responded that they would choose to keep everything to themselves.

Many of them hope to make as much money as they can and retire by the age of 50. "Then I'll go out and do something that I truly love," said one.

(China Daily HK Edition November 7, 2003)