Society

Bye, bye big cities - white collars want to flee

By Wang Hongyi (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-30 07:03

SHANGHAI - Soaring housing prices and the high cost of living in major cities are pushing some people to seek greener pastures elsewhere.

The first-tier cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, have long been the first choice among enthusiastic young people, but a new online survey indicates that more than half of white-collar workers are eyeing other cities where life is "more comfortable" and has "less pressure".

The survey was conducted by Digitimes magazine and Data 100 Market Research Company in February.

Among those who had been in first-tier cities for more than three years, 55 percent said they would choose to leave in the next few years. Increasing stress and sky-high housing prices were the main reasons.

Rather than staying in big cities, respondents said they would like to seek personal development in second- and third-tier cities such as Hangzhou, Qingdao and Xiamen, which promise huge potential during the country's economic development.

Compared with first-tier cities, 41 percent of the 635 respondents think there are more opportunities for personal development in smaller cities, and 37 percent said the move would allow them to afford an apartment.

"Yes, I'm ready to leave any time to a city where I don't need to worry about housing prices every day," said Sarah Pei, 29, a marketing assistant in Shanghai who earns a monthly salary of about 7,000 yuan ($1,000).

"I get a handsome salary here, but I'm not happy. The city's high housing prices and high cost of living bother me every day. That's why my husband and I aren't thinking about a baby. We don't have enough money to raise a baby," she said.

"I know I will leave here one day. The salaries in my hometown of Taiyuan, in Shanxi province, may be not as high as in Shanghai, but it can cut at least 10 years off the time it would take me to buy an apartment."

Chen Wei, 32, has been back in his hometown of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, since last year. He started his new life as an IT company's divisional manger.

"I spent 13 years in Beijing, where I finished college and got married. But I don't want my soon-to-be-born baby to begin life without a 'home'," he said.

"It's worth it to make such a decision. Chengdu's average housing price is only one fourth of Beijing's 20,000 yuan per square meter. Also, I have more time to look after my old parents here," he said.

Another survey, conducted by Shanghai-based xinmin.cn, showed about 76 percent of 428 respondents who are now working in Shanghai intend to leave over the next one to three years.

Yu Hai, a sociology professor at Fudan University, said: "It should be a normal phenomenon that social and economic development promotes a rational flow of talent. Professionals are more likely to seek self-development in cities with great opportunities and resources."

"However, a lot of young talent has had to leave large cities due to abnormal house prices and stress, which people should pay more attention to," Yu said.