Chinese tier-one cities lose their shine in wake of strict Covid-19 restrictions

High costs of living, a stressful lifestyle and opportunities elsewhere had slowed growth in China’s economic hubs

But the Covid-19 restrictions pushed people to smaller cities or out of China completely

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Covid-19 pandemic prevention workers help residents take coronavirus tests in Shanghai. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:00pm, 2 May 2022

China’s rural-urban opportunity divide has long meant that the country’s cities were a magnet for people seeking better paid jobs, education opportunities and a higher standard of living.

But in recent years, people have begun to reject the rising costs of urban living and the high-stress lifestyle. This phenomenon appears to be accelerating due to China’s strict Covid-19 prevention lockdowns.

Janice Yuan, 38, had been thinking about returning to her hometown for a few years but had hesitated. Then Shanghai’s indefinite lockdown starting in late March became the final straw and pushed her towards leaving.

Now that she plans to move, she said she is excited about “A bigger home, slower-paced lifestyle, more natural scenery and less risk of Covid-19”.

“Life would be much easier there,” said Yuan, referring to Shaoxing, her hometown, a city of much lower density about 200km away from Shanghai.

People queue for a PCR test in Beijing as China’s capital is threatened by a Covid-19 outbreak. Photo: Kyodo

Yuan is just one of many who are shunning China’s megacities as harsh zero-Covid policies are still a reality of life over two years after the coronavirus outbreak first emerged in Wuhan in 2020.