(Dan Tri) – Many young Chinese people are forced to leave the cities and return to work in the countryside as finding work becomes more difficult in big cities.
Gong Chengqiang chose a new job in the countryside (Photo: Bloomberg).
Before the Covid-19 epidemic, Gong Chengqiang, 30 years old, used to work for a technology company with an income of about 200,000 yuan (28,000 USD) per year.
Gong wants to change the taste, quality and price of 20 different fruits.
`My paternal family has been farming all their lives. Their wish is for their children to have a different life and they wonder why the family has worked so hard to send me to school for so many years but in the end I decided to
For decades, people like Gong’s parents have moved to work in China’s cities, fueling the country’s rapid development.
Families who invested in higher education for their children with the promise of a middle-class life now find their hopes increasingly dim.
`When I graduated in 2014, even an average student with no experience like me had many job opportunities and could work at a good company,` Gong said.
Rural China is now an alternative place for the country’s youth to find jobs.
Some young people are satisfied with the working environment in rural areas thanks to advantages such as low living costs and high stability.
Wang Zhihao, 24, said he feels happier working in the countryside in Guangdong.
`In Guangzhou, many things are too expensive. House prices and daily living costs also make me suffocate,` Wang said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has for years called on young people to help `revitalize the countryside`, has stepped up such calls in recent months.
In May, Guangdong province announced a pilot plan to enroll 300,000 graduate students in rural areas by 2025.
However, experts warn that moving graduates out of cities where technological innovation is thriving risks weakening growth further, while slowing urbanization will reduce
Jenny Chan, associate professor of sociology at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said the Chinese government could achieve more by opening up the economy and promoting the private sector.
