If you haven’t seen any piece of news about China in the last month, 996 means that IT workers at Alibaba are expected to work from 9am to 9pm, six days a week.

Yes, life in China is competitive and fast-paced. The phrase “New York minute” refers to an instant – as former American television chat show host Johnny Carson once said, it’s the time between a Manhattan traffic light turning green and the driver behind you honking the horn.

China, always able to do one better, has more like a “Shanghai second”, because it doesn’t take much longer than that for a good honking in China’s cities.

The population is in a rush. Not in an abstract haste, but on a mission. Work more. Accrue wealth. Upgrade life. Everything feels possible in China, WeChat messages fly and suddenly ideas become reality, the answer to every question is “OK, how can we make it happen?”.

8 of Asia’s most beautiful luxury co-working spaces

However, working more doesn’t mean being crammed behind a desk and committing to digit-specific schedules just because some billionaire tells you to.

In first-tier China, the working population enjoys internationalised cultures, benefits, perks and flexibility.

The ultra-competitive economy means that smart businesses are fully aware that they are only going to succeed with talent; even finding the right people is one of the most difficult tasks for any smart business.

As China’s economic miracle continues, businesses realise that in many senses, it’s the staff that hold the upper hand in terms of supply and demand.

Attracting and keeping the talent that’s going to take the business forwards is not only about the salary.

Intelligent, creative and driven people expect something more meaningful, somewhere where their inspired minds can look forward to returning back to every day – or the flexibility to not have to.

The marketing agency, Reuter Communications, for example, specialises in helping international luxury brands connect to affluent Chinese consumers.

The agency world is not short of potential new employers for anyone feeling like a change, and so Reuter endeavours to keep the perks coming.

Five most luxe co-working spaces in Hong Kong

These include the recently launched Reuter: Academy, which offers learning, wellness and fun to keep staff engaged, as well as Reuter Bar (with professional mixologist) for after-work Friday drinks, in-office afternoon shoulder massages from a local high-end spa, rooftop yoga and meditation sessions and the purposefully, cheesily-named “Committee of Fun” that puts together regular social mixers and shindigs, randomly selecting the teams from staff members so that everyone mixes together and doesn’t work in silos from week to week.

Nick Cakebread, managing partner of Reuter Communications, said: “As well as tangible benefits to enjoy at different times of the workday, one thing that’s been a huge success for us is to create an environment that is based on values. These include ‘work smart’, ‘be kind’ and ‘have fun’.

“We take our work seriously, but realise that we’re not saving lives here. Among the business growth and strategy, we need to remember the human side to working together – whether that’s in the office or remotely.”

Another creative name that’s succeeding in China is IDEO, a global design company – hence its workspace is full of creative minds.

Some of the mottos on its website are “everyone is creative” and “innovation starts with people”.

Momo Estrella, design lead at IDEO, said: “IDEO Shanghai has a workplace culture where people care for each other, look after one another, and maintain a healthy balance of fun and work.

Will WeChat’s new feature end the role of influencers?

“As an organisation that draws deeply on empathy, how we act towards each other is of paramount importance.”

She said: “As for our perks, the principle behind them is simple: what are the conditions to help our people be at their best? This is reflected in how our experience teams design the day-to-day: breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks, family and friends’ gatherings, terrace BBQs, movie screenings, storytelling evenings, gratitude parties, happy hours and our community’s initiatives.”

And then there is WeWork. The co-working space that can easily claim to be the “leader” since it bought rival naked Hub is beloved by creative, younger Chinese workers that wanted to escape the archetypal “office of the past” that represents “old China”.

Built around a community feel, the boom of co-working spaces – WeWork had four China spaces in 2016 and now has over 60 – is testament to the point that in first-tier China, it is simply not a 996 lifestyle, but a culture that’s moved past factory workers, is moving past office drones and is becoming a place where China’s modern, upwardly mobile workforce expects flexibility, community and a comfortable place to be.

Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter