Have a Shortage of
荒 (huāng)
Related buzz words:
Blood shortage/ diesel fuel shortage/labor shortage

荒, huang, means being short of or lacking something. For example 血荒, xue huang, is a phrase that refers to hospitals suffering from a blood shortage while 用工荒, yong gong huang, refers to private companies who suffer from a labor shortage. The 柴油荒, chaiyou huang, was the phrase used to refer to the diesel fuel shortage which spread across Chinese provinces in December 2010.

There are various reasons for the different shortages. For example, the blood shortage is widely attributed to the low number of blood donors. According to media reports, while college students and migrant workers are active blood donors, teachers, public servants and employees of other sectors are not. Another reason for China's blood shortage is people’s concerns that blood donation may lead to illness.

Despite having the world’s largest population, China’s southeastern region is now suffering from a shortage of migrant workers because many workers chose to remain in their hometowns during the financial crisis as lots of private companies were forced to claim bankruptcy. Additionally, despite increasing living costs, the salaries of migrant workers remain the same, making them reluctant to work for private companies.

The diesel fuel shortage has been explained in many different ways. While media reports have blamed local governments for trying to reach their carbon emission and energy saving targets by cutting off the power supply for local companies and forcing them to use diesel fuel to generate power, the core reason for the shortage lies on the industrial monopoly of Sinopec and PetroChina who “create” a shortage of diesel fuel and then raise the prices of their fuel products. Of course, the two oil giants deny such accusations.

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