China's big fish graduates seek smaller ponds

Before graduating, Li Simin faced the choice of staying in Beijing where he studied for four years at Beihang University, or heading back to his home in the west.

Li is one of the 7.5 million graduates to pour forth from the gates of China's universities this summer. More than 70 percent of them, about 5.3 million, will join the battle to find a job. The remainder will go on to postgraduate study either at home or abroad, or join the swelling legions of hopeful entrepreneurs and set up their own businesses.

According to headhunting website zhaopin.com in its 2015 graduate employment report, of the job seekers, 33.9 percent want to land a job in the four first-tier cities -- Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen -- home to the majority of leading tech, cultural and entertainment companies. If this number seems low, that is because it is, compared with last year when 48.4 percent of new graduates sought their fortunes in the big four. In 2013, more than 50 percent of them targeted these megacities, all with mega-hopes.

Li received offers from companies in both Beijing and Chengdu and finally opted for the latter, capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan.

"The Beijing company could not offer me a permanent residence permit. And the air pollution, and the traffic jams... my dominant memory of the place is the congestion," said Li.

Chengdu is close to his hometown, the traffic is better, the air is cleaner and the salary is almost the same as in Beijing, where housing costs are four times higher. Most importantly, he feels more valued by his company because he comes from a prestigious Beijing university, where "everyone knows" the best education is to be had. In Beijing itself, such an education is a commonplace.

TO FLEE OR NOT TO FLEE

The top cities seem to be losing their glamour and fast-rising second-tier cities like Chengdu, Dalian and Wuhan are offering graduates more employment possibilities and perhaps a better quality of life.

Ten years ago, almost all graduates of Tsinghua University, one of China's finest, remained in Beijing after graduation, but that number is now below 50 percent and is expected to fall even further this year.

A survey of 551,000 graduates in 109 universities showed the second-tier cities of Hangzhou, Kunming, Hefei and Chengdu to be the new favorite destinations.

Skyrocketing living costs, high pressure, pollution and traffic problems have dissuaded many from staying in the traditional powerhouses of graduate employment, according to sociologist Zhou Keda. More importantly, he says, graduates are not just being pushed away by the negatives, but are being pulled in by the positives.

Second-tier cities have been working hard to provide top-notch facilities in fields like education and medical care. A lot of help and support is available to new businesses and environmental concerns are often considerably less.

While preferential policies and salary breaks attract the intelligent and the ambitious, top cities are struggling to curb excessive population growth.

Beijing is completely enclosed by its two neighbors, Hebei Province and Tianjin Municipality. A coordinated development plan for the region means that industrial and human resources are moving out of the cramped and crowded capital and into the comparatively stress-free hinterland. The city has also been ordered to reduce the quota of new permanent residence permits, which naturally leads to fewer job opportunities.

The expansion of high-speed rail has greatly reduced journey times throughout the country, also contributing to the loss of admirers of first-tier cities.

"Previously we talked about 'fleeing' Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Now, it is more like a natural flow based on more uniform urban development," said Xiong Hanzhong, founder of the Beijing youth stress management center. He describes the trend as a "normal and rational" development.

EAST WEST, HOME'S BEST

Hu Yi (alias), graduate of the China University of Mining & Technology, never wanted to land a job in the capital. She works as a geological surveyor in Kunming, a southwestern city she describes as having a good climate and promising development prospects.

Seeing her classmates getting offers from the capital, she was not the least bit jealous. "I know what I want. I want a better quality of life, not just a job."

If you want to start your own business, a smaller city may offer a lot more.h Chen Jing, 28, returned to his hometown. Kaixian is a small county in Chongqing Municipality with a population of just over a million, 300 km away from the seething megacity. There Chen founded an organic food company Ancient Agricultural Development. He sells honey and nuts via the Internet. His business is booming.

When he graduated in 2010, he visited many cities before choosing a site for his company. With cheap labor and natural food resources plentiful, he opted to return to his roots.

"The rent here is just one third of that in Beijing, and you know how important it is for a startup to save money," he said.

Sociologist Zhou believes the flow of graduates into smaller cities and towns will not just relieve the population burden of the metropolises, but balance the distribution of human resources and bring growth to less-developed areas.

"These graduates will grow into a strong middle class, which will not only be good for the social and economic structure of smaller cities, but will be good for the whole nation," he said.

SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES

While some are beginning a new life in less-renowned cities, many graduates still come to the big cities and insist on staying.

Some eight million people live in Beijing without a permanent residence permit, a huge army of "Beipiao" -- outsiders who work and live in Beijing with great ambition but without permanent homes or a decent quality of life. Many Beipiao live in basements, unable to afford a room above ground. Liu is one of them.

The flute major has never had a permanent job since graduating in 2012. He earns his living tutoring kids. He never has a free weekend as he must work whenever the children are out of school. His schedule is full during the summer holiday and he has finally earned enough money to move above ground, but the slack season is approaching and he is worried. Liu has no plans to leave the city. "I will stay here and fight for a better life," he said.

In Foshan, Guangdong Province, Huang Ziyun works for an electrical appliance manufacturer. She graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University in June and her family begged her to go back home.

She misses Beijing where she could see the world's greatest artists perform and meet many people of different races and cultures.

Huang plans to return to Beijing to continue her studies; a good excuse for her to leave home again. "I will certainly head back north when the time is ripe," she said.