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IMMERSED IN MUSIC: A singer performs at a bar in Lijiang, Yunnan Province(CFP) |
In the recently released movie Breakup Buddies, two men undertake a journey to escape lives that have fallen apart in Beijing. One man divorces his wife, whom he met in Dali, a remote and beautiful place in southwest China's Yunnan Province. Another man, his friend, decides to take him on a trip with no destination to relieve the pain of divorce. They try to avoid Dali, but ultimately arrive there.
The divorced man, once a singer, regales audiences with one of his most popular songs, Going to Dali. It describes a tranquil place for young people who want to escape dreary city life.
For the man in the movie, Dali represents love, romance and youth. But upon return, he finds the place has changed—purity and tranquility are nowhere to be found.
New destination
Though Breakup Buddies is a work of fiction, it reflects the reality of changes that have taken place in Dali and other places, including Tibet Autonomous Region, Yunnan Province, Yangshuo in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Fenghuang Ancient Town in Hunan Province.
These places have become popular travel spots for a certain type of young people that are labeled—or even self-identify—as wenyi qingnian, a phrase that translates into English as "cultured youth." The sub-culture forms a social phenomenon not unlike hipsters in the United States.
"If you haven't been to these places you will be an outcast among other hipsters," joked Yuchi Linjia, a talk show host on Phoenix TV, based in Hong Kong. "In such places, you don't need to do anything but sit by a cup of coffee and think about life," he added.
Why the popularity of these destinations among this group? These places are either remote or mysterious and life there is vastly different to that in big cities.
"Had I known life here was like this earlier, I would not have wasted my time in Beijing," said Tong Xiaoxi, a 29-year-old woman from Sichuan Province who had been living in Beijing for seven years before she moved to Erhai in Yunnan.
Working as a clothing designer in Beijing, Tong felt like her inspiration and creativity had been sapped dry by the traffic jams, pollution and stress. She decided to seek a fresh start.
"Some of my friends moved to Yunnan and they recommended it to me," said Tong, who followed the advice without hesitation. "It proved to be the right decision!"
The gorgeous scenery and local ethnic cultures offered new inspiration for Tong. The added bonus of low living costs made her life a lot easier, too. "I plan to stay here forever if I can," said Tong.
The inspiration that Zhang Ping took from Tibet culminated in a book of her time "floating" around the region for more than a decade after moving there with her boyfriend in 2000.
Before going to Tibet, she had only seen it in pictures. The idea of seeing the real thing eventually led to her taking the jump.
"At first, I just wanted to make a short trip, but after I arrived I decided to stay a little longer and then some more. In the end, I never left," said Zhang. "I got married here, had my baby here and I've met a lot of wonderful friends from all over the world here," said Zhang. "What else could I want?"
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