Leslie Forman
January 10, 2011 — By Leslie Forman

小资, 小偷: On Little Capitalists and a Petty Thief (Beijingers: Watch out at the Village!)

Yesterday I helped a friend research the meaning of 小资 (xiaozi) for a magazine piece. The first character, 小 (xiao), means little. The second character, 资(zi), stands for 资本主义 (zibenzhuyi), which means capitalism. So 小资 can be translated as “little capitalists” or “petty bourgeoisie.” We mentioned this to two Chinese friends, who both immediately described […]

Yesterday I helped a friend research the meaning of 小资 (xiaozi) for a magazine piece. The first character, 小 (xiao), means little. The second character, 资(zi), stands for 资本主义 (zibenzhuyi), which means capitalism. So 小资 can be translated as “little capitalists” or “petty bourgeoisie.”

We mentioned this to two Chinese friends, who both immediately described 小资as the kind of people who go to Starbucks, to be seen. So we went to Starbucks at Sanlitun Village to interview some little capitalists.

That's Sanlitun Village in the summer. Now it's filled with festive and photogenic decorations, and the visitors wear many more layers. Photo via eladies.sina.com.cn

We quickly found that “小资” is like “hipster” – a word people will readily use to categorize others, but find repulsive to personally identify with.

By the pick-up counter, we asked patrons: “What does 小资 mean to you?” One described a 33-year-old single woman who works in PR, travels the world, and lives in an artful apartment. Another specified that 小资 are born after 1975 (since people born before then focus more on saving money than flashing cash) and aspire to look richer than they really are.

A blue-shirted boy who studies economics and Korea defined 小资 in two products: iPhone and iPad. His female friend answered in two words: “enjoy life.”

Sometime during that conversation, some little capitalist unzipped my purse and stole my wallet.

This is not the first time I’ve been pickpocketed by a 小偷 (xiaotou: xiao, again means little, and tou means take), and it really could happen anywhere, but I still….

Beyond the obvious mafan of losing cash and cards, this is an especially common occurrence in the weeks before Chinese New Year, when most people need to buy pricey train tickets home to see their families (and present them with red envelopes of cash.)

The Starbucks staff and Village management (and even local police, after Starbucks’ manager called them) took this very seriously. We watched the closed-circuit TV reel in the back room, and did see a girl in a white coat pass by me closely, twice. They warned other patrons to watch their belongings. They all have my number and will call me if they find anything. I’m not holding my breath.

So, public service announcement: Watch out at the Village!  Especially in Starbucks!

I’m lucky to be living a somewhat xiaozi lifestyle (albeit minus the iPhone and iPad and my wallet and the overt flashiness), and without personally embracing that term) and enjoying my independent life.