An increasing number of young people fear being left on the wrong side of the divide as China's wealth gap continues to widen and the competition for well-paying jobs intensifies.

Wang Wenjuan, who recently majored in Chinese, has just paid off 20,000 yuan ($3,214) in student loans. And to make ends meet, the 26-year-old works as a part-time writer and tutor apart from her full time job in a publishing company.

"My dream is to become a famous writer, that's why I chose Chinese as my major," says Wang, who comes from a small village in Gansu province. "I can earn about 80,000 yuan a year if I work very hard. But it is expensive to live in Beijing and my family needs help. I have no hope of saving any money."