Over 70 pct of Chinese youth find their hometowns increasingly attractive

A recent survey of 1,500 young Chinese people showed that 70.4 percent of the respondents see their home regions as highly attractive places for personal development.

Respondents from the northeastern and western regions of China prefer their home regions to other parts of the country primarily because of relatively low living costs, including costs of housing and commodities, according to the survey, which was jointly conducted by the social survey center of China Youth Daily and questionnaire website wenjuan.com.

After working outside her hometown to gain experience in running a business, Liu Yunyang (pseudonym), a post-95s woman from northeast China, returned to Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, and opened a restaurant in the city this year.

She has a deep attachment to the northeast region of China, and enjoys a close affinity with the city where she lived for many years, Liu said.

"If there are good job opportunities, I'd prefer to return home for my career," said Feng Jing (pseudonym), a junior at Beijing Jiaotong University.

Hailing from Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, Feng Jing appreciates the charm of metropolises like Beijing, but still prefers her hometown, as it offers a more relaxed living environment where she can enjoy a less stressful life, she said.

"Everyone hopes their hometowns will develop better," Feng said. She believes that more young people would choose to work in their hometowns if their home regions further sharpen their industrial advantages and foster a youth-friendly employment environment.

Jiang Yao, a post-00s graduate who majored in Vietnamese at Guangxi Minzu University in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said she will probably pursue a career in her home city, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

"First of all, that's where my family are. Besides, Chongqing has well-developed infrastructure and convenient transportation, and the housing prices are also acceptable. So it is pretty attractive for me," Jiang explained.

The survey found that the central region of China is becoming increasingly appealing to young talents due to advantages such as the rapid development of emerging industries, rich scientific and educational resources, as well as strong capacity for research and innovation.

Ye Yanlei, who graduated with a Ph.D. from Tsinghua University last year, chose to develop his career in the central Chinese city of Wuhu, Anhui Province.

"In recent years, the central region has been continuously intensifying its efforts to boost technological innovation and industrial upgrading," Ye said, noting that Wuhu boasts featured industries, a relatively complete industrial system, as well as a good number of leading enterprises.

As more favorable policies target the central region, it will become increasingly attractive in the future, offering young people opportunities to apply their knowledge and achieve personal development, Ye said.

Jia Zhilong, deputy director of the Anhui Quantum Computing Engineering Research Center's Quantum Computing Chip Provincial Key Laboratory, has lived in the central Chinese city of Hefei in Anhui Province for nearly 10 years, gaining deep insights into the city's industrial development and urban construction.

Photo shows a view of the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone. (Photo provided by the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone)

In his view, Hefei's strength in scientific research ranks among the top in the country, especially in the quantum industry, where it leads the nation.

Moreover, Hefei's convenient transportation provides an important foundation for industrial development, allowing various production factors to flow efficiently and facilitating close communication between universities and companies along industrial chains, according to Jia.

"Provinces in central China have great location advantages, allowing for in-depth alignment with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area," Jia pointed out.

The rich scientific and educational resources, comprehensive manufacturing industry chains, well-developed infrastructure, coupled with relatively low living costs, are all important factors attracting young people to develop their careers in the central region, he added.

Of the young people who took part in the survey, 52.7 percent were male and 47.3 percent were female.

The post-00s, post-95s, post-90s, and post-85s generation respondents made up 19.4 percent, 32.5 percent, 33.8 percent, and 14.3 percent of the survey, respectively.

In terms of the survey participants’ hometown regions, 32.5 percent were from the eastern region, 26.6 percent from the northeast, 31.7 percent from the central region, and 9.2 percent from the western region.