A city in the southwest of China has become a popular place for people who are looking for a freer way of life.
They have left big cities and have moved to Dali, in Yunnan province, to find more space, lower prices and a place to openly discuss and exchange ideas.
For example, a group of young adults recently talked about politics, media, and conflicts around the world in one shared workspace in Dali. In a nearby cafe, young adults discussed issues from art to sexual harassment to the apathy in China's youth.
Reuters news agency recently spoke with 13 Chinese migrants to Dali. They described a place on the edge of mainstream society in China. However, many of them would not give their names.
Dali’s easy-going lifestyle is shown in a popular Chinese television show this year called Meet Yourself. It is about digital nomads who travel to Dali for a better life. “Digital nomads” are people who travel freely while carrying out remote work using the internet.
'Ideal kingdom'
Dali's Old Town area has attracted cultural workers since the late 1990s, said Ling Minhua. She is an expert on Chinese migration at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Ling said that the normalization of remote work and Dali's less restrictive policies during China's zero-COVID campaign also increased the popularity of the city of about 650,000.
"When younger generations are materially sufficient but spiritually lost, of course they will seek personal growth and freedom," said Bai Yunxi. Bai is 33 years old. She is now an online astrologer, someone who tries to predict people’s futures based on the position of stars and planets.
Bai moved to Dali in September after quitting her government job to give online astrology readings. She shares a three-story house with her partner, a friend, and three cats. She said, "My living situation provides enough space to develop my career and personal life without interference from others.”
She also said Dali's nickname, "Ideal Kingdom," represents part of its appeal. The Chinese characters that make up the word “Dali” can mean “ideal kingdom” and relate to its partial self-rule more than 1000 years ago.
Thirty-seven-year-old Chen Zhengyun founded an employment staffing company. He said living in Dali freed him from the social pressure to get married early. He said that the government is calling for marriage and family to deal with China's population crisis.
"There are some personal topics that you can't bring up elsewhere that you can talk about here," said Chen.
As China’s economy slows and youth unemployment rises, Dali has become a place for those seeking to escape the pressure and high costs of city living. They also come for the good climate, natural beauty, and a history of tolerance.
But six of the 13 people Reuters spoke with said they were concerned about police watching their activities. They said some big events have been canceled and there have been police raids.
Dali city's propaganda bureau did not respond to a request for comment on the crackdowns and Dali's efforts to attract young skilled workers.
Youth unemployment reached record levels this summer. At the same time, the rural population is dropping because of low fertility rates and urban migration. So, the central government in Beijing has tried to urge young people to move to rural areas for what it calls "rural revitalization."
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged graduates to "return to their hometowns" and "actively seek hardships." That is similar to ideas from the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 70s. But this message does not seem to be connecting with urban youths. They grew up with expectations of wealth but now find success hard to reach.
Digital nomads
The local government in Dali has sought to attract young technology workers. Two community organizers told Reuters that in September the local government asked digital nomads for advice about policies.
However, a large conference for digital nomads with art and technology-related talks was suddenly cancelled on November 2, a week before its planned start. The organizer, a shared workspace called NCC, said on social media that several issues caused the cancellation. NCC refused to say more publicly.
Three people with knowledge about event organizers in Dali said another conference on decentralized internet technologies planned last year was cancelled. The cancellation took place after the government suddenly withdrew support.
Many digital nomads who use shared workspaces are involved with technologies like Blockchain, organizers said. Local officials ask questions about the technology linked to digital money, or currency.
China banned cryptocurrency mining and trading in 2021. It was part of a crackdown on the technology industry.
Two other shared workspaces were shut down unexpectedly for months. Local police visited one earlier this year, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
"We are more low-key and don't emphasize digital nomads in our marketing anymore," one person involved in shared workspaces told Reuters. The person added that conservative local governments in rural towns like Dali are "cautious” about new technologies.
Such problems do not surprise Ling Minhua, the migration expert. Unlike university students, digital nomads "are not subject to structured discipline, [so], she said "they are harder to manage."
I’m Anna Matteo. And I’m Andrew Smith.
Laurie Chen reported this story for Reuters News Agency. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.
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harassment –n. the repeated bothering of a person by another
apathy –n. the state of not caring about anything
sufficient –adj. not enough
tolerance –n. the willingness to permit behavior or beliefs that are different than your own to exist without agreeing with them or accepting them
crackdown –n. a campaign against something
revitalization –n. an effort to bring new life to a place or idea
emphasize –v. to place importance and bring attention to something
discipline –n. to control of people’s behavior under certain rules
manage –v. to supervise or direct in a business or organized effort
