EAST WEST, HOME'S BEST
Hu Yi (alias), graduate of the China University of Mining & Technology, never wanted to land a job in the capital. She works as a geological surveyor in Kunming, a southwestern city she describes as having a good climate and promising development prospects.
Seeing her classmates getting offers from the capital, she was not the least bit jealous. "I know what I want. I want a better quality of life, not just a job."
If you want to start your own business, a smaller city may offer a lot more.h Chen Jing, 28, returned to his hometown. Kaixian is a small county in Chongqing Municipality with a population of just over a million, 300 km away from the seething megacity. There Chen founded an organic food company Ancient Agricultural Development. He sells honey and nuts via the Internet. His business is booming.
When he graduated in 2010, he visited many cities before choosing a site for his company. With cheap labor and natural food resources plentiful, he opted to return to his roots.
"The rent here is just one third of that in Beijing, and you know how important it is for a startup to save money," he said.
Sociologist Zhou believes the flow of graduates into smaller cities and towns will not just relieve the population burden of the metropolises, but balance the distribution of human resources and bring growth to less-developed areas.
"These graduates will grow into a strong middle class, which will not only be good for the social and economic structure of smaller cities, but will be good for the whole nation," he said.
SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES
While some are beginning a new life in less-renowned cities, many graduates still come to the big cities and insist on staying.
Some eight million people live in Beijing without a permanent residence permit, a huge army of "Beipiao" -- outsiders who work and live in Beijing with great ambition but without permanent homes or a decent quality of life. Many Beipiao live in basements, unable to afford a room above ground. Liu is one of them.
The flute major has never had a permanent job since graduating in 2012. He earns his living tutoring kids. He never has a free weekend as he must work whenever the children are out of school. His schedule is full during the summer holiday and he has finally earned enough money to move above ground, but the slack season is approaching and he is worried. Liu has no plans to leave the city. "I will stay here and fight for a better life," he said.
In Foshan, Guangdong Province, Huang Ziyun works for an electrical appliance manufacturer. She graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University in June and her family begged her to go back home.
She misses Beijing where she could see the world's greatest artists perform and meet many people of different races and cultures.
Huang plans to return to Beijing to continue her studies; a good excuse for her to leave home again. "I will certainly head back north when the time is ripe," she said.
