China’s millennials, burned out on city life, opt to live off the land
- A movement of young Chinese professionals are quitting the rat race for the simple joys of an organic, agrarian lifestyle
- Tech- and business-savvy millennials are bringing new ideas and enthusiasm to an agricultural sector largely dominated by peasant farmers
Hu Siqin had a promising career in Shanghai with a Fortune 500 company and more than enough money, but something was missing under the bright lights of the big city, a sense of what she calls “roots”.
So the 33-year-old chucked it all in to lay down literal roots as part of a nascent back-to-the-farm movement in which young Chinese professionals are quitting the rat race for the simple joys of an organic, agrarian lifestyle.
“People like me don’t feel that material comforts stimulate us, and deep down we remain unsatisfied,” said Hu.
“So we’ve started thinking, what is the purpose of our lives? What am I living for?”
In many ways, it’s a homecoming. Before the 20th century China was a primarily agrarian country for thousands of years, most of its vast population scratching out a life from the soil.