Currently, among the post-80s from Meizhou who work or study away from home, a quiet trend of returning to their hometown has formed as their employment choices have changed. The Yangcheng Evening News reporters found through exchanges with some post-80s that due to high work stress, living costs, and family belonging issues in big cities, many post-80s consider "abandoning urban life to return to their hometown" as their first choice. They say: it's frustrating outside, but returning home can also be exciting.
Talents can still be displayed in mountainous cities
Xiao Wan, 28 years old and originally from Wuhua County, will leave Zhuhai, where he has studied and lived for nearly four years, at the end of this month to return to Meizhou City. "I secured my job during my internship period, and both my family and I are satisfied," Xiao Wan told reporters. During his third year of university, he decided to return home. Although he participated in recruitment fairs held by several large enterprises in Zhuhai along with most of his classmates, one state-owned enterprise’s human resources director decided during the interview to hire him as an assistant in the technical development department, but Xiao Wan chose to work for a public institution in Meizhou City instead, despite the fact that the salary of the two units differed by almost twice due to regional differences. "The development prospects of my hometown are what I value more," said Xiao Wan. He feels that rather than facing fierce competition and enduring high work pressure in coastal areas or big cities, it is better to choose to develop in Meizhou.
Like Xiao Wan, 25-year-old Xiao Zeng, due to valuing the business-friendly environment and development space of his hometown, resolutely gave up a translator assistant position in a company in Shenzhen after graduation and chose to work as a manager in a hotel in Meizhou City. "Meizhou also has development prospects," Xiao Zeng smiled and told reporters.
High housing prices drive people to return to their hometown for employment
Compared to new graduates, Xiao Li, who has worked in Shenzhen for nearly three years, became part of the post-80s returning tide for more practical reasons. "Being closer to home, relatively smaller work and life pressures, after working in Meizhou City, I could pay the down payment on a house with the savings accumulated over three years of working outside. Now, my monthly mortgage is less than 1500 yuan. Compared to the unattainable dream of buying a house outside, I feel much more secure mentally," Xiao Li said, having made the decision after careful consideration. "Although working back home means losing some opportunities to develop in big cities, by now, many classmates who originally worked hard outside have gradually returned through various channels."
Xiao Wu, who graduated in June this year, considered returning home due to high housing prices and other consumption costs in big cities. "Housing prices in big cities remain stubbornly high, and living costs are too expensive. To own a house and a car, we don't know how many years we need to struggle," said Xiao Wu, who is currently working in Meizhou City. He mentioned that during his graduation internship, when he exchanged ideas with several classmates whose situations were similar to his, everyone expressed intentions to return home for employment. The main reason was that they felt the high consumption in big cities lacked a sense of belonging, and they adjusted their original idea of going out to explore when they started university.
Only children go home to accompany their parents
Since most of the post-80s are only children, as their parents get older and they reach marriageable age or already have new families, whether they can settle down to take care of their families has become a realistic problem that many post-80s must face and solve when choosing their careers.
Xiao Ye, 29 years old, and his partner are both originally from Meizhou. After working in Guangzhou for four years after university graduation, they got married. With the birth of their child, they began planning to develop in Meizhou. According to Xiao Ye, after "floating" outside for four years, his concept has been updated. When studying, almost everyone said that returning to one's hometown would not lead to success, but within a year after graduation, one-third of his classmates had returned home. At first, he had a sense of superiority about striving in big cities, even mocking classmates who led a calm life after the age of forty; however, after 2008, his psychology completely changed. He realized that the so-called calm life of his returned classmates was exactly what he longed for, something that was difficult to achieve calmly while living outside. "Both my partner and I are only children, our parents are getting older, if we establish ourselves outside, there are many practical problems that are difficult to solve, such as elderly people's living habits, medical care, and household registration issues for children's schooling," he explained. It is understood that there are quite a few post-80s who share Xiao Ye's feelings and plans to return home. The problems they face are no longer just family issues but a universally existing social issue.
Reporters from the Yangcheng Evening News: Huang Weshan
Communicators: Tao Zhi, Zhu Bo (from Meizhou)