Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    China
    Home / China / Society

    Young workers forsaking big-city life

    More and more youths return to hometowns to find jobs, start businesses

    By CHENG SI in Beijing and CHEN BOWEN in Haikou | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2023-03-22 07:28
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    Chen Shengchun (second from left) helps workers harvest oranges at his orchard in Yongtai county, Fuzhou, Fujian. He is one of many people who have returned to their home villages to start businesses. [Photo/Xinhua]

    More and more youths return to hometowns to find jobs, start businesses

    Many young people employed in large Chinese cities are tiring of the culture known as"996", which means they are expected to work from 9 am to 9 pm six days a week.

    Instead, they are increasingly choosing to return to their hometowns to find a job or start their own businesses.

    One such example is Long Jixiang, 32, who in early 2018 decided to leave Beijing to head back to Baoting, a small county in the island province of Hainan.

    For the past five years, Long has produced and posted short videos online of clothing he has designed. He draws inspiration for his designs from nature and rural life.

    In the videos, Long and his fellow villagers walk country paths wearing the clothes he has made from curtains, tarpaulins, bed sheets and even plastic bags.

    "In Beijing, I worked as a photography assistant, before becoming an assistant stylist and event planner. I started from scratch, as I didn't have any professional background in the fashion industry, but I was full of enthusiasm for the business," he said.

    Long added that during his time in Beijing he experienced hardships at work and in his personal life.

    "I initially took unpaid work to access the fashion industry, before landing a job that paid 3,000 yuan ($430) per month, but life in the capital on such a low salary was difficult," he said.

    However, he said these difficulties reinforced his decision to become a self-employed fashion designer and online short-video blogger after he returned home.

    "My parents were surprised when I decided to give up a steady job in Beijing to become a blogger in a small county. At the time, they had no idea about fashion or being a fashion blogger," Long said.

    "It's important that I know my good and bad points, and the type of life I really want to lead, no matter where I live or work. People might have had more opportunities in big cities in the past, but in the internet era, the countryside offers young people attractive options."

    Long has a total of about 1 million followers on platforms such as Sina Weibo and Douyin.

    "I've recently been inspired by the traditional dress worn by members of the Li ethnic group in Hainan. For one video, I invited my grandmother to model clothes, and this footage received a good response from my followers," he said.

    Long has invited 100 people from the countryside — regardless of their age or appearance — to wear and model the clothes he has designed.

    "Traditionally, fashion is closely associated with luxury items, but I've never had any designer clothes, and I don't need them. I appreciate a diverse range of clothes that are beautiful and innovative, and which can be worn by young people and also villagers such as grandmother," Long said.

    "I was born and raised in the countryside, which gives me inspiration. I've seen how well the rural economy and tourism have developed in recent years, and through my efforts, I hope to promote my hometown's development."

    Unlike Long, Wang Jieling, 35, is still hesitating over whether she should quit her job as an advertising planner in Beijing to run a homestay business in her hometown.

    "I started to think about returning home in 2019, when my daughter was born. At the time, I was finding it hard to balance home life and work. However, my plans to return home were delayed by the emergence of COVID-19 in 2020," she said.

    Wang, who comes from Huangshan city, Anhui province, is extremely positive about her hometown's development.

    "It's a popular tourism destination, with impressive views of the city from the mountains. There is also the delicious Hui cuisine. As China optimized its COVID-19 control policy earlier this year, the tourism market in Huangshan will soon fully recover, so running a homestay is a good choice," she said.

    Wang said another important reason for quitting her job in Beijing is the exhausting work schedule.

    "I usually work overtime until midnight, and having a complete weekend off is a luxury for me. I spend my days and evenings putting together advertising campaigns to satisfy my clients," she added.

    "I experienced anxiety disorders in the past three years, as I had to work harder to keep my job at a time when the employment market and economy were not that good due to the epidemic.

    "The more time I spend at work, the less time I have with my young daughter. I don't want to miss any important occasions in her life, such as when she first calls me 'Mama', or starts to walk. I've already missed many such moments through my work."

    Wang added that she will think about her future this year. "My husband and I hesitated some years ago, as we didn't have that much money to support our dream of running a homestay, but if we decide to return home for a new start, we plan to sell the apartment we bought in Beijing," she said.

    More employees are now willing to return home from big cities to find work and lead a life with less pressure.

    According to a recent survey by the online recruitment platform Zhaopin, 90 percent of respondents wanted a "more reasonable "career, and said there is no shame attached to returning home to find work.

    The platform did not disclose the number of people interviewed for the survey, but some 56 percent said they had decided to return home after they graduated, while 44 percent preferred to stay in big cities to develop their careers.

    Zhaopin said that thanks to local authorities relaxing restrictions on recruiting civil servants, and attractive support policies for entrepreneurship, those who return home mainly become grassroots civil servants or decide to launch a business.

    According to the platform, some 75 percent of civil service positions nationwide this year have been allocated at grassroots level, a year-on-year rise of 5 percentage points.

    1 2 3 4 Next   >>|
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
     
    亚洲动漫精品无码av天堂| 国产中文字幕视频| 最近中文字幕免费2019| 99久久国产热无码精品免费| 久久久噜噜噜久久中文字幕色伊伊| AV无码久久久久不卡网站下载| 无码国产精品一区二区免费| 2022中文字字幕久亚洲| 夜夜精品无码一区二区三区| 人妻丰满熟妇AV无码区乱| 国产综合无码一区二区辣椒 | 亚洲欧美日韩中文在线制服| 国产产无码乱码精品久久鸭| 伊人久久无码中文字幕| 熟妇女人妻丰满少妇中文字幕| 狠狠精品久久久无码中文字幕 | 无码AV波多野结衣久久| 久久午夜夜伦鲁鲁片免费无码影视| 最好看的2018中文在线观看 | 中中文字幕亚洲无线码| 国产免费无码AV片在线观看不卡| 伊人久久精品无码二区麻豆| 无码粉嫩小泬无套在线观看| 日韩中文字幕在线不卡| 精品久久久久久久中文字幕| 人妻少妇久久中文字幕| 天堂а√在线中文在线最新版| 欧美乱人伦中文字幕在线| 日韩乱码人妻无码中文字幕视频| 国产精品ⅴ无码大片在线看| 国产白丝无码免费视频| 92午夜少妇极品福利无码电影| 国产精品无码日韩欧| AV无码人妻中文字幕| 国产精品无码久久四虎| 狠狠精品久久久无码中文字幕 | 国产无码区| 无码的免费不卡毛片视频| 日韩无码系列综合区| 乱人伦中文无码视频在线观看| 亚洲人成中文字幕在线观看|