BEIJING, Nov. 5 -- So how much do you think someone has to make to be categorized a white-collar employee?

Depends on where he or she lives; and the difference can be substantial.

It could be as high as 18,500 yuan (2,481 U.S. dollars) per month in Hong Kong or a mere 900 yuan (120 dollars) in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, with about 5,000 yuan (670 dollars) making the cut in Beijing.

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) released its findings over the weekend in the 2007 White-collar Workers Salary Standard in Major Chinese Cities - the first of its kind.

The benchmarks in some major cities at the upper end are: 8,900 yuan (1,194 dollars) in Macao, 5,350 yuan (717 dollars) in Shanghai, 5,280 yuan (708 dollars) in Shenzhen of Guangdong Province, 4,980 yuan (668 dollars) in Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province and 4,750 yuan (637 dollars) in Guangzhou of Guangdong Province.

At the lower end are: 1,300 yuan (174 dollars) in Nanning of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 1,100 yuan (148 dollars) in Yinchuan of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Xining of Qinghai Province.

The report was based on a comprehensive calculation of many local factors including commodity prices, living expenses, transportation costs and urbanization level.

But for some people, the income levels are only an academic exercise.

"The 5,000-yuan standard is vastly different for people who have to pay monthly mortgages and for those who don't," said Liu Meiyu, a 28-year-old architect who works for Beijing Design and Research Institute and bought a two-bedroom apartment a few months ago with bank loans.

"A monthly salary of 10,000 yuan (1,341 dollars) might be just right for a white-collar benchmark," she told China Daily.

Lhasa's low figure has also raised some doubts.

"The 900-yuan level is far too low as the cost of living is not low at all," said Lei Wenzheng, a local tourist guide.

A manager at a local department store can earn an average of 2,000 to 3,000 yuan (402 dollars) a month, while public servants are paid higher there than those in eastern provinces as the central government provides extra subsidies, according to Lei.

Xia Xueluan, a professor in social sciences of Peking University, said income alone is not the determining factor.

"White-collar' or 'middle-class' means a combination of factors such as wealth, power and prestige, not simply income or property, Xia said.

(Source: China Daily)