Chinese Youth Flee Megacities for Towns With 3,000-Yuan Annual Rents
Updated
Updated · South China Morning Post · Aug 1
Chinese Youth Flee Megacities for Towns With 3,000-Yuan Annual Rents
3 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · Aug 1
Summary
Young Chinese workers are increasingly leaving megacities for smaller towns, trading high-pressure careers for cheaper housing and a slower daily life.
Fast-paced corporate jobs, long hours, rigid hierarchies and mounting stress have left many Millennials and Gen Z workers physically and emotionally burned out.
Mengzi in Yunnan has become one example of that shift, with an entire apartment floor renting for 3,000 to 5,000 yuan a year—far below costs in cities such as Shenzhen.
The move reflects a broader recalculation among younger Chinese over whether lower pay and fewer luxuries are worth greater affordability, quieter surroundings and less strain.