This spring, some young people chose to return to first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Even as "digital nomads", there are clearly more job opportunities in first- tier cities.

"If life in Beijing is a fictional treasure map, then life back home is more like taking a wordless heavenly book," one young woman said. "Big cities have big competition, and small cities don't even have the opportunity to compete," said another. "I don't want to live a life with a glance at the head at the end of the year," said one woman.