Dream Lifestyles in Dali End in Disappointment
|Tuesday, March 26, 2019
HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY
PAGE TWO
Some moves to idyllic lakeside city in Yunnan province end with a return home
Dream lifestyles in Dali end in disappointment
By CAO DESHENG
caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn
With an increasing number of newcomers arriving, Dali’s tourism and real estate markets have pros pered since 2015. According to the local government, 24 percent of property in the city was bought by new arrivalsin 2015. Twoyearslater, the number had risen to 60 percent.
Housing prices have surged from
6,392 yuan ($952 at the current rate) per square meter in December
2015 to 11,788 yuan per sq m in the same month last year.
A source at Yunnan Shili Real
Estate Development Group, who requested anonymity, said more than 80 percent of the commercial property on its books in Dali had been bought by nonlocals. change his way of life.
The 45yearold worked for a Stateowned company in Beijing before moving. Since 2001, he had been sent abroad by his company to work in countries such as Sudan,
Ecuador, Iran, Syria and Iraq as ment. However, he faced great pres sure, both from work and security I have traveled to a lot of places, both at home and abroad, but I was overwhelmed by the natural beauty of Dali, a place that can calm you. I feel this city is the most pleasant one I have been to, and it is where my heart is now.” f you are not satisfied with your life and don’t know why you have lost your
“Ismile; if you are unhappy anddon’tlikebeingwhereyouare,go chiefmanagerforbusinessdevelop west — with Dali your destination.”
These lyrics form part of a song in the Chinese blockbuster movie problems.
Breakup Buddies, which was shot mostly in Dali, an attractive city in
Yunnan province, and released in
The film inspired many middle income earners tired of the hustle and bustle of urban life to quit their 2015, hefoundhecouldnotadaptto jobs in big cities and move to Dali.
However, unlike in Breakup Bud dies, many people’s dreams of find ing a better life in Dali — which has provided the perfect backdrop for romantic trysts in hundreds of mov ies — have not had happy endings, and they are beginning to leave for a books who moved to Dali from Bei liked,” he said. jing with her husband in December
2015, said she had since witnessed many friends leaving and returning As a professional writer, Chu has interviewed dozens of people from across the country who moved to
Dali. She and her husband, who their new home. help organize activities such as gar dening, hiking and cycling for new comers, have a big circle of friends who have relocated to the city.
Mu said he had several narrow escapes from bomb attacks near his office in Iraq, where he worked for
2014. seven years.
When he returned to work at the company’s Beijing headquarters in
life in the city. He had to travel for a total of three hours each day on the subway between home and work.
He also had a busy work sched ule, and began to wonder what life meant to him, Mu said.
“I felt I needed a change, so I talk ed with my wife. She agreed with variety of reasons. me that we should sell our house in
ChuXiaogui,anauthorofpopular Beijing and move to somewhere we The couple searched online and drew up plans to move, finally deciding on Dali, where they to their hometowns. bought a villa on an estate at the foot of Mount Cangshan.
Many people buy on impulse, as compared with housing prices in big cities, those in Dali are low, the source said, adding that she has seen some tourists buying property during their travels.
Yang Yi restaurant owner in Dali’s ancient walled city
Heavily in debt
Wang Yan, a businesswoman from Chengdu, capital of neighbor ing Sichuan province, moved to
Dali in 2014. She is among thou sands of newcomers who operate guesthouses around Erhai Lake, which offers stunning views that provide an escape from urban life.
The 50yearold, who now wants to leave the city and return to her hometown, said her decision to operate guesthouses in Dali had turned out to be a mistake, as it had left her heavily in debt.
In May 2017, Mu left his job and traveled with his wife and son to He said he is happy with his new life. “The lifestyle in Dali is slow, easygoing and totally relaxed.
Main picture and top: Erhai Lake offers stunning scenery.
CHEN RUOQUE AND ZHANG SHULU / FOR CHINA DAILY Above: Diners enjoy a lei surely meal at Yang Yi’s restaurant in Dali. CAO DESHENG / CHINA DAILY ronmental campaign has escalated and a mild climate all year round. There are no business phone calls,
“People have different reasons for leaving, ranging from the need to take care of elderly parents who have stayed in their hometowns, to taking their children back to big cit ies for better education,” she said.
People are also leaving because after two or three years without work,theyneedtofindpaidemploy ment.
In recent years, thousands of peo roughestimatefromthelocalgovern ment shows that about 40,000 new comersarelivinginthecity.
Many people decided to leave their jobs and move to Dali from large cities such as Beijing, Shang hai and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, due to work pressures and surging property pri ces, which have been hotly debated nationwide in recent years.
According to Chu, most of those moving to Dali are middleincome earners with highereducation back grounds. “They are not billionaires, gobacktoBeijing. Butwhoknows?” but they can afford to buy a house Chu said. and live a decent life, even without a job, for three or five years,” Chu said.
“Most important, they came to
Dali with the idea of living a slow, simple, idyllic lifestyle that is differ ent to that in the big cities. Some say their dreams have already come true, but others feel they made the ture. wrong decision.”
She ran a garment company in and more than 1,800 lakeside prop Tourists can explore the old town, as there always were in Beijing.
Chengdu before moving to Dali, erties within the protection zone — hike amid the clouds, cycle around This is 100 percent the life I and the annual revenue from this including 540 guesthouses — have the lake and enjoy bustling street dreamed of,” he said. business was about 400,000 yuan. been demolished. festivals.
Mu is trying to find something he
She and her family lived quite a good life, she said.
As the premises Wang operated
Before he settled in Dali, Yang enjoys to begin a new career. “I were within the protection zone, workedforabankinChongqing, his don’t intend to take up a job to
Like many of her peers, Wang was which lies within 15 meters of the hometown. Aftermoving, hestarted make money — I want to find some attracted by the scenery around shoreline, they were demolished, a business selling handmade tradi thing I truly love doing to enrich my
Erhai Lake, and used her capital to and she will be compensated by tional costumes of the local Bai peo life,” he said. “Since I decided to openalakesideguesthousebusiness local authorities. However, Wang ple, one of the ethnic groups in move to Dali, making money is no byleasinglandfromlocalfarmersto said she does not believe the money China. Many people from the group longer a priority.” build her own premises. plehavemovedtoDalifrombigcities. can make up for her losses. live in communities in Dali.
Chu, the author, said she and her
Theexactnumberisnotknown,buta She has debts of 3 million yuan —
In2014,sheinvested6millionyuan A year after he arrived, Yang husband enjoy their new life. They in an 18room guesthouse in Shuang mostly borrowed from relatives and opened his small restaurant, which have their own property and a busi langtownshipclosetothelake. friends. She said she regretted mov serves spicy Chongqing cuisine. He ness in Dali. She gave birth to a Her business enabled her to live ing to Dali to pursue an idyllic life. has developed a close relationship daughter last year, which has made her dream; every morning she
While some are not happy that with his customers. life busier. opened the windows, breathed they moved, others are glad they
“I cook the food on my own for
She said Dali is a good place for clean air, and the surroundings madethetransitionfrombigcitylife. my customers, most of whom are her to get to know more people
Top and above: Food ven dors wait for business on the streets of Dali, Yunnan province. The city is were often bathed in sunshine, with
Yang Yi, 48, who operates a res tourists. When I serve them, I often from across the country. beautiful flowers dotting the lake as taurant in Dali’s ancient walled city, sit and chat with them and listen to
Many of the nonlocals who have chosen to remain in Dali, which waterfowl paddled on the surface.
However, in 2017, the local gov qing after falling in love with the arrived eight years ago from Chong their stories,” he said.
“In my spare time, I go with also attracts considerable numbers attracting an increasing ernment ordered all 2,400plus city on a visit. He bought a house friends to climb Mount Cangshan, of foreigners, believe their new lives number of newcomers. hotels, guesthouses and restaurants and settled down. around the lake to close until they “I have traveled to a lot of places, This is exactly the life that I want to had been checked and the authori both at home and abroad, but I was live — having no pressure, but inner daughter is of school age we might or cycle around Erhai Lake alone. are good.
CAO DESHENG / CHINA DAILY
“Maybe someday when my ties confirmed they had all the per overwhelmed by the natural beauty peace and freedom.” mits required. of Dali, a place that can calm you. I With the tourism industry feel this city is the most pleasant Smog a factor
Mu said, “I don’t know what will expandingrapidlyinDali, wastewa one I have been to, and it is where
Beijing resident Mu Yi moved to happenintwoorthreeyearstimeor
Dali after careful planning and vis beyond, but now is the best time for
For decades, many tourists have its to the city with his wife. me and my family.” ter and garbage were often found my heart is now,” Yang said. being disposed of directly into the lake due to insufficient or dilapidat fallen in love with Dali’s beautiful
He said he decided to relocate
Yang, the restaurant owner, said: ed facilities on the shore, creating weather, stunning mountains, lake 2,100 kilometers from the capital “I will always be here in Dali. When one of the lake’s major sources of side scenery and vibrant ethnic cul due to heavy smog, which had you are enjoying the best time of Since October, a widespread envi pollution. caused him serious discomfort. But your life, why bother thinking of the The city has abundant sunshine more important, he wanted to future?”