"Chen pays just 1200 RMB, or $168, a month for her apartment in faux Venice in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. It's so cheap that it's allowed Chen to retire at the tender age of 28. Experts say Chen is part of a broader trend that has seen a growing number of young people across China migrating to small towns and cities, taking advantage of cheap real estate prices that have been plummeting since the COVID pandemic."
"Most large Chinese companies, especially high-paying tech firms, requires a work schedule of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, a grueling lifestyle popularly known as the 996 culture. Under the intense pressure, some young professionals have called it quits altogether and joined a resistance movement called "lying flat" - shunning careers and capitalism for a "low-desire life.""
"It's a stark reversal from previous generations that prized upward mobility. In decades past, China's ascendent middle class flocked to booming megacities to chase jobs and dreams, once abundant as the country went from rags to riches. But as the once red-hot economy cooled, expectations have soared, opportunities have dwindled and competition has grown fierce."
Young Chinese professionals are increasingly migrating to small towns and abandoned developments like the replica Venice complex in Jiangsu province, where housing costs are dramatically lower than major cities. This trend represents a significant shift from previous generations who pursued upward mobility in booming megacities. Driven by economic cooling, intense competition, and grueling work schedules like the 996 culture, young workers are embracing a "lying flat" movement that rejects traditional career ambitions. By relocating to areas with minimal living expenses, individuals like Sasa Chen can retire in their late twenties. This phenomenon mirrors Western movements like FIRE, though achieving financial independence is more feasible in China due to substantially lower costs of living in smaller cities.
#chinese-youth-migration #ghost-cities-and-abandoned-developments #early-retirement-and-financial-independence #996-work-culture-and-burnout #lying-flat-movement
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