Necessity in the U.S. is often luxury in China

First, start off with dwelling types. Most Americans live in houses, while almost all urban population in China live in an apartment except for those exceptionally well-to-dos who live in a townhouse or a single-family house. Additionally, labor is relatively cheap thanks to the abundant labor force. Therefore, most Chinese families do not own house maintenance tools and gadgets–such as lawnmowers, snow shovels, etc.. Public living spaces in neighborhoods are maintained by organizations similar to homeowner associations in the U.S.. As a result, few Chinese install hardwood floors, paint walls, install kitchen cabinets themselves but rather hire out these household chores. It is safe to say that most Chinese are not as handy as Americans. Some Chinese youngers even do not know how to replace a lightbulb. This living style eliminates many sources that contribute to clutters.

Next, we move to transportation. A similar situation goes with transportation. Because labor is relatively cheap. Automobile maintenance is also outsourced to professionals. This eliminated the need of having auto maintenance tools handy at home.  Additionally,  in cities, the best way to commute or travel is via trains, buses, personal electric scooters.  Family cars are used only for longer trips, such as trips to the countryside on long weekends, or taking kids to all kinds of extra-curriculum activities. For daily commuting, Shared public bikes are everywhere so people can ride a shared bike from home or from work to the subway or bus stations.  All in all, the omnipresent electric scooter in China is the most environmentally friendly and flexible transportation vehicle for daily commuting. People in cars will often get stuck in the traffic in rush hours while watching e-scooter riders swooping by.  Electric bike repair shops pop up everywhere,  just like Starbuck coffee shops in the US, and services are priced very reasonably.  Therefore, individuals do not need to buy tools to DIY  the maintenance of their e-scooters; they even do not need to own a pump to increase the tire pressure of their scooters. In contrast, those who own a bike in the U.S. often need to buy a set of repair kits and learn the basics of bike repair and maintenance because bike shop is a rarity even in cities in the U.S.  This eliminates another source of household clutters.

Now let’s turn to domestic living. it is true that Chinese household’s kitchen counters are becoming just as busy as those in America as the number of small kitchen appliances keeps increasing.  However, there are certain things that considered necessary in the US but rarely seen in Chinese kitchens:

1.  Home appliances: dishwashers, microwave oven, toast oven, conventional oven, blenders, and all kinds of bakewares because baking is rare in Chinese cuisine. I bought a microwave for my parents. it is left unused; my mom still puts leftovers in a pot and heats them up when needed.
2.  Clothing dryer is rare; most family hang clothing dry in their decks. If there is no deck, then there are handing rods protruding out from windows. On sunny days, windows in an apartment building are well decorated with colorful clothing.    You will not find dryer sheets/balls in supermarkets or convenience stores in China as they do not exist in 99.99% of Chinese households.
3. Vacuum machines: while there may be some households use them, but the demand for vacuum is relatively low for households because most families will install hard surface floors (tiles for family/living rooms, hardwood floors in bedrooms)  in their home for easy cleaning and maintenance. Carpet floors are not popular in private homes.
4. Kitchen cleaning: no paper towels to clean kitchen counters. Instead,  rags–used facial towels. Paper towels entered my kitchen after I arrived at the U.S.. Now I went back to the old ways–rags mostly. A roll of paper towels lasts a long time in my kitchen.
5. Many families in rural areas do not use napkins after meals, while some middle-class families in urban now do.  It is worth mentioning that in some mom-and-pop restaurants, napkins are not served. When asked,  business owners will point to a roll of low-quality tissues somewhere in the corner. Therefore, when going out, most Chinese will carry packs of pocket-sized tissues just in case.
6. Most schools and companies own or run a canteen. One would not need to buy containers, coolers to carry lunch to school or work. In the past, employers include free lunch as part of benefits. Some may have changed this policy over the years as carryout becomes so popular with smartphones aided by apps such as Meituan–an equivalent of Doordash and Chowbus in the U.S..
7. Water heater: many households now have a water heater for showers, and many still do not. If they do, the most common type of water heater is a tankless one. Those owning water heaters often only use them for showers, not for washing faces and hands in the morning or before bedtime. To keep their bills low, most people except youngers perhaps do not change their clothing on a daily basis, especially if they do not over sweat.
8. Heating and cooling. Only the region to the north of the Yangzi river has heating in winter. This does not mean all other regions have mild winters; only the South tip of the country such as Guangxi, Guangdong have mild winter.    People often wear down coats and boots at home in winter. This includes the most affluent areas in the country such as the Yangzi delta and the Zhu delta regions. In scorching summer, while most well-to-do families have rooms with a wall-mounted air condition, central cooling is still a rarity.

Cleaning products: when I first arrived in the U.S., I was amazed by the sheer variety of cleaning stuff in the supermarket. Although the types of cleaning products in Chinese households are on the rise, there are still far fewer cleaning products. Only dish liquid and laundry cleaning products are considered essential.

Last, let’s talk about clothing. Most apartments/houses do not have built-in closets as their counterparts in the U.S., so how much clothing including accessories such as bags and shoes are constrained by wardrobe capacity. When I visit my parents,  I was surprised to find out that even their wardrobes are cluttered with clothing they no longer wear but reluctant to part with. Closet cluttering unfortunately has entered most households in China as well, partly due to the rising living standard and the popularity of e-commerce.

As globalization deepens, household cluttering–a sign and symptom of abundance will also spread around the world.   I was surprised to find that a new career—helping people organize their homes is emerging in urban China, and these Kon-Marie-like professionals are prospering.