Growing numbers of Chinese are escaping urban life for rural peace
“The Mountains Are High” examines what is driving people out of Chinese cities to the mountains
IN January 2020 Alec Ash, an English writer living in Beijing, arrived in the small mountain town of Dali in south-western China. He and his fiancée had split up just two months before their wedding, and he wanted to escape. So he chose a mountain refuge to which a growing number of Chinese were fleeing, seeking a different kind of Chinese dream. The ancient town became known as “Dalifornia”.
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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Living the high life”
Culture February 24th 2024
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From the February 24th 2024 edition
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