Fear of backdoor dealings
Despite the spiritual barrenness, another important factor that drives many back to metropolises is the fear of backdoor dealings.
Zhang Chao was a migrant worker in Guangzhou, but returned to his hometown in Central China's Hunan Province earlier this year. At that time, he thought life would be much easier at home.
In fact, he underestimated the situation. After resettling in his hometown, he started up his own business and founded a company engaging in real estate sales. For someone who opened a new company, he was lucky at the beginning. His friend introduced him to a property sales project which Zhang was very confident in.
However, he gradually found that the business environment of his hometown was quite different from that of Guangzhou. When he was working in Guangzhou, efforts were usually focused on paperwork. In his hometown, business is done on the drinking table. Once the client is satisfied at the alcohol feast, then the deal is finalized. But he failed to get used to this mode of doing business and suffered great losses.
Zhang also revealed that one of his friends had also come across backdoor dealings when applying for a civil servant post. Just because the other applicants had influential connections in the government, his friend was eliminated from the list in the first round.
In despair, Zhang decided to return to Guangzhou, as he said the business environment there is much more open and fair.
Metropolis or hometown?
The colorful life in metropolises comes with hardships. When choosing to live in capital cities, one has to prepare for the cruel reality. But it does not mean they must accept the inequality.
With more and more migrant workers becoming less willing to accept low wages, they have begun to demand basic rights. It is good to know that migrant workers in some cities are now enjoying higher incomes and more spare time.
However, many problems still exist and may continue to remain. In a short time, the high housing prices and living costs will be a heavy burden for migrant workers who decide to settle in metropolises.
Besides, given that a city has its maximum population capacity, cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou may continue to take measures to limit the speed of city expansion.
Experts say that with the constant development of second- and third-tier cities, local governments are now strengthening efforts in constructing these cities with a more just and equal environment. Young people are thus suggested to compare job opportunities in different places and look for jobs that interest them.
