Four decades of reform and opening up have brought much more to China than just economic and political gains. The livelihood of its people has changed for the better. However, no one lives a carefree life, especially those living and working in big cities like Beijing.

Xiong Renzhen moved to Beijing in 1979 with her family, one year after China opened its doors to the outside world. Growing up with little wealth and few material possessions, Xiong's life is vastly different now.

"Forty years on, it's like climbing a mountain," she said. "Our quality of life is better than it's ever been. Food, clothes, daily necessities, we have everything we need." 

Four decades ago, when shopping, ration coupons were required basically for everything.

The 75-year-old recalled that in her time, people would prefer to line up at the butchery to buy fat meat than lean meat, for it was considered an oil-rich treat when the regular diet was mainly corn mush, potatoes and cabbages.

Four decades after moving to the capital city, the retiree is enjoying retirement with her family. She plays badminton and table tennis with her friends every now and then.

"Life is easy for us retirees. But I feel that young people in the city are under a lot of pressure," Xiong said.

Her daughter Chen Fuyun works for a construction company and seems to be having a mid-life crisis.

"Competition is fierce in the industry. We're under a lot of pressure, especially at year's end when targets have to be met. I'm on business trips quite often," Chen said with a chuckle.

Chen thinks middle-aged workers in Beijing sometimes face even greater pressure than the younger generation. Despite this, Chen and her husband Wang Yafei say life is better now than it used to be.

"I came to Beijing with nothing, only my luggage and a Chinese lute," Wang recalled, "When we got married, we lived in a small studio and cooked in the hallway."

Then the couple later moved into an apartment assigned by the company. After that, they bought their own apartment. Their daughter Wang Wanyue considers herself lucky not to have to pay rent. But the newly-wed has other things on her mind.

"School district housing is expensive. A friend of mine spent seven million yuan on a tiny apartment just to be in her preferred school district,” Wang frowned. “I don't have a child now, but my heart sinks thinking of that."

Many of her friends live from paycheck to paycheck. Some earn 6,000 yuan, or about 860 US dollars while spending half on paying rent. Others make more money but are tied up with work.

"You can't have your cake and eat it too. A lot of my friends are single. Some get off work at two in the morning and have no time to socialize," said Wang.

With leaps and bounds, people's livelihoods may have changed. But for young people, the golden years of retirement are still a long way off.