Is the big city good enough?

gzlaser

WOULD you sacrifice quality of life for a better career chance in a big city?

This was one of the questions in a survey of 8,000 people by China Youth Daily. It found that 52.8 percent think that big cities like Beijing and Shanghai offer more opportunities for career development. But only 17.8 percent think there's a quality to life in these fast-paced, expensive places. Meanwhile, 34.5 percent think it's easier to live a less stressful life in a medium-sized city.

The survey also found that people may not be entirely satisfied with what they have, but are reluctant to move because they can't find certain things elsewhere.

Most (89.3 percent) of those surveyed who live in major cities say they have great opportunities where they are. However, more than 60 percent of them say they wish they could live in a smaller town. This conflict highlights one of the most difficult choices modern, mobile Chinese face.

Do the charms and greater prospects of metropolitan life compensate for the less comfortable life in the city?

YES

Life is not necessarily less comfortable

in large cities.

1. Quality of life is not just about cleaner air, less traffic and cheaper food and housing. For younger people, there's also higher-paying jobs, better universities, bigger museums, more movie theaters, Karaoke bars and shopping malls. Smaller cities can't compete with that.

2. As urbanization increases, government and society are also making an effort to improve standards of living in big cities by reducing pollution and improving traffic. Urban life in the long run will improve.

3. Whatever other problems cities bring, nobody can deny that education and job possibilities are much greater there than in small towns or the countryside. This advantage alone has caused millions of people to give up the other comforts to move to cities.

NO

Big cities are getting too big and stressful for

a lot of people.

1. Dozens of second- and third-tier cities are actually able to compete with big metropolises in terms of life quality. Life is less stressful there and big-city attractions can be found. The cheaper housing in smaller cities is a major plus.

2. Anybody can see that pollution and traffic problems are getting worse in big cities. This is unlikely to change in the near future. Health is an important factor in quality of life, especially in the case of children and older folks. That's the reason for the \"suburbanization\" trend, where the richest move out of cities.

3. Big cities don't provide equal opportunities for everyone. When rich people move into cities, they cause costs to go up and the urban poor find everything, especially housing, too expensive. Eventually some of them will be forced to move to smaller, cheaper cities because they have no choice.

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mall 购物商场

metropolitan 大城市的

stressful 产生压力的

urbanization 都市化

tier 等级

BONUS POINTS

fast-paced: 快节奏的

This fast-paced life is getting me down, I'm gonna move to the country. 这种快节奏的生活让我身心疲惫,我打算搬到乡下去住。