The cost of living and housing in China is forcing young people to move out of megacities

"Today, that roadmap is beginning to shift. A growing number of young Chinese people are starting to explore smaller cities, where the pace is less frenetic and a work-life balance is more attainable. This shift stems from a change in priorities. Stagnant wages, high youth unemployment, chronic burnout and increasingly realistic life expectations are pushing an entire generation one marked by competitiveness and pressure to seek a balance between ambition and mental well-being."

"Changsha, Chengdu and Chongqing cities known for their more relaxed atmospheres (at least, by Chinese standards) have become magnets for young people who are tired of the fierce competition in the megacities, where the job market is also more saturated. Now, the so-called second-tier cities prosperous and well-connected, but a step below in terms of political influence and economic size have become places of refuge and personal reinvention."

"At 33, Xiaoxiao feels like she has done everything expected of her: she earned a degree, received good job offers, became financially independent and got married. However, after a decade living in the capital of the Asian giant, she decided it was time to return to her home province of Hunan, in the south. I love Beijing, but little by little, I felt the atmosphere changing. Nowadays, it's harder for young people to lead a relatively comfortable and peaceful life there, she laments."

Success for Chinese youth concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen historically, despite cramped apartments, high rents and long work hours. That pattern is shifting as many young people explore smaller and second-tier cities such as Changsha, Chengdu and Chongqing that offer calmer atmospheres and more attainable work-life balance. Stagnant wages, high youth unemployment, chronic burnout and more realistic life expectations are driving the movement away from saturated megacity job markets. Second-tier cities are prosperous and well-connected but smaller in political and economic scale, and they are becoming spaces for refuge, lower pressure, and personal reinvention.

Read at english.elpais.com