Asking questions, being introspective, having a soul - I don’t have time for that kind of luxury. I work twelve hour days in a Beijing estate agency, six days a week. Before I go to sleep I have to eat. But it’s true that if I did ever get round to a bit of self-questioning, the results wouldn’t be great. I have a job that bores me, it’s terribly monotonous, I don’t have a girlfriend, nor even many friends, but what choice do I have? I get up at 7.30, grab a quick breakfast and run to my 8.30 meeting. The morning is spent visiting apartments with clients. Between visits I have to deal with all the paperwork which builds up on my desk. There are so many things to deal with every day. An hour for lunch and then the same thing in the afternoon, until 8.30 at night, the whole day broken up by dozens of phone calls. If I sell one apartment a month I’m doing well. On a sale of 2 or 3 million yuan, I make 0.1 % of the sale. My fixed salary is around 1,200 yuans a month, but in general I take home about 4,500 yuan. I only sell old apartments. Not siheyuan, those famous houses called ‘square courtyards’ so beloved of expatriates and wealthy Chinese. Most of the time they are really difficult to get on your books and their title deeds aren’t watertight. I prefer to look for places with character with potential and, most importantly, in a good location. The market is huge and there’s plenty of work for everyone. You have to know how to stay ahead of the game, ready to pounce. You need the spirit of a predator…

My first thought when I wake up in the morning is how where I am with my goals. In five years I would like to be able to buy a car and I hope I’ll be earning 25,000 yuan a month. In ten years, when I’m thirty-five, if all goes well, I’ll be married with a child. Maybe then I’ll be able to develop other interests, the cinema perhaps, or maybe I’ll set up my own business. And finally work out the meaning of life!

For the time being that’s not on the programme. I live on my own and I help my parents out financially at home in their village in Henan. My father is a civil servant. He’s responsible for the administration of family-run hotels. My mother teaches maths in high school. I know I’ve got a huge responsibility towards them. I’m an only child, I understand the price of their devotion and we have always got on well. Today it’s my turn to look after them. My money is their money. I come from a traditional family and it is my duty to be a good son. It’s a matter of honour.

At work I am under enormous pressure. I’m champing at the bit, waiting for the day when it will get better. There are moments when I feel myself completely lost. It’s a bit like football: there are so many things that one can’t control. A whole load of frustrations and surprises…When the pressure gets too much I go home, take a shower, change my clothes and go to a bar for a beer. I try to go to the gym once a week to get rid of toxins. I don’t go out much, I don’t have the time. And love hasn’t yet found a place in my life. But then who would want to marry a ghost?