raining salted fish

By Judy Zhu

“If a person has no dreams, what is the difference between them and a salted fish?” is a modern colloquial adage originally delivered in Cantonese however used across all Chinese-speaking communities. The line was extracted from Shaolin Soccer (2001) starring one of the most decorated actors and filmmakers in Hong Kong and China, Stephen Chow Sing-Chi. Like many other films from Hong Kong that fall under the ‘Mo-lei-tau’ genre, despite Shaolin Soccer’s ostensible comedic purpose, it puts the passions that, not just Hong Kongers, but young adults around the globe compromised in pursuit of something else under the spotlight. Whether that something else is prosperity, stability, or parental pressure, the line sent youths across the world a message — that regardless of how grand an individual’s achievements are, if the subject operating and driving forward those achievements is merely a vessel devoid of dreams and ideals, they are like a salted fish. 

Once again, subject selection season has started to close its curtains on UniHigh students ranging from year 8 to year 11. Among the students, some chose subjects based on their interests, while some did so based on their strong suit. Many, if not most, students kept the prosperity of their future careers neatly in the back of their heads. There is, however, a noticeably large cohort of students who chose biology and chemistry. 

It is not hard to see that a large proportion of students who chose biology and chemistry as a part of their VCE course are doing so to pursue a career in medicine, as many university courses in the pathway to medicine have chemistry as a prerequisite. In UniHigh, medicine is arguably the most pursued career. There is no need to explain why – medicine is, indubitably, the highest-paying profession in Australia. According to SEEK, out of the 20 highest paying professions in Australia, healthcare and medicine hold 6 of those places, alongside number one. The average annual salary for a health professional is around $160,000 and even entry-level doctors can make around a staggering $120,000.

Undoubtedly, these high salaries cannot be achieved without the right mix of talents, skills, and privilege. Talents and abilities should be self-explanatory. They equip you with the apparatuses to survive the waves of competition to make it out of the industry. Like fish, to achieve a high ATAR, be on the honour roll, be top of an industry, and so forth, we must swim through each wave of competition. Let’s admit it, as fair as the authorities try to make it, VCE is a ranking-based competition, and so are the grades in a medicine course that students obtain (only) if they have an adequate ATAR. It is common knowledge that getting an ATAR of over 98 is difficult. You can argue that an ATAR depends on how much a student wants to study and that the conditions for getting a high ATAR are malleable for everyone. But there is another issue: that doctors often study for no less than 8 years before entering the workforce and everyone knows that doctors usually work in the harshest conditions. Not only is medicine a field for the competitive out of the competitive, but those competitives need financial support to even study the course they desire. Thus, what students of medicine are competing for is not just ‘who is the smartest’, but the multiple factors behind what even renders them the opportunity to pursue medicine.

Those harsh conditions above beg the question: if the element of income were to be thrown out of the equation, how many students would still choose medicine? 

When you peel away the shiny and attractive outer casing of the healthcare industry, we see the careers behind them that are over-glorified. Who would voluntarily enter such an industry if not for an innate passion? This brings us back to the iconic line delivered by Stephen Chow - dreaming of nothing but wealth cannot propel any fish farther for that the fish in question cannot look beyond the profit. The appeal of wealth leaves the fish with an insatiable hunger for money, but a dream that comes from within the fish renders the fish less susceptible to disappointment and endless and innate motivation. 

As I walk past the biology and chemistry classrooms, I wonder how many of the students will be washed away by the first wave of competition, how many by the second wave, third wave, and so on. I can’t help but feel a tinge of sadness and regret when another one of my peers tells me their plans to become a dentist, a surgeon, a neurologist, or any other type of ‘doctor.’ It is even more sad that those students are not propelled to achieve their goal internally, but externally from the desire to achieve material prosperity. However, I also can’t help with the fact that: whichever industry they’re going into will never feel sad or regretful when they are ‘eliminated’ by the waves of competition. In 2019, only 5% of the UniHigh year 12 cohort entered medicine, however, a large fraction of the cohort has chosen biology or chemistry to fulfill the prerequisites for medicine. They may make it out of med school and into the healthcare industry, but how many of their hobbies, dreams, and passions have they compromised on the way? What are we if not salted fish lying around, devoid of dreams that propel us to make a change in the world? 

My article isn’t here to pull you away from your pursuit of capital above all else (I’m saying this but I know it’s not convincing enough to achieve that). Of course, it is important to consider all aspects of a career you desire, including the material aspects and its sustainability, and medicine ranks quite high on both criteria. Being a salted fish doesn’t just apply to those attempting to enter the field of medicine, but, really, anyone who chases nothing but material wealth. If you enjoy the idea of that or if pursuing medicine has always been your passion, then, please, go ahead and chase your dreams. All I’m asking of you is to ask yourself: is ridding yourself of all spiritual goals worth a (potentially) prosperous life?  

I hope that my two cents were worth some of your food for thought.