 |
|
LEISURE TIME: Travelers chat in front of a cafe in Yangshuo, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (CFP) |
In her book Floating In Tibet for 10 Years, Zhang recorded the stories of different people coming to Tibet. "People come and go like many other places on the planet," said Zhang. "But there is always something different because it's Tibet. People come here for a reason, usually not for business but for something else."
Musicians, writers, poets, designers and people working in other artistic fields make up a large part of the non-local population in such places. Wandering guitar players and people with tattoos and unorthodox hairstyles are not an uncommon sight. Business in bars and cafés is good, which is unusual in remote and small cities.
Duan Jin has no idea why he decided to stay in Yangshuo for a whole month after his first short visit.
Majoring in computer science at Chongqing University, Duan never labeled himself artistic. He wears thick glasses and has never been involved in anything creative.
So Duan's decision to rent an apartment in Yangshuo for a month was a shock to his friends.
"I didn't think about it that much. I made the decision just because I thought it was a quiet place and I liked the food here. I can afford the rent as it is not much at all," said Duan.
For Duan, such places do not necessarily belong to a specific group. "The trees and the river helped to move my eyes away from computer screens and find out more things about life, and at the same time, it helped me to figure out a lot of things that were lingering in my brain."
Idyll not always ideal
For Hu Lin, "figuring out" sounds a bit cliché because everybody that goes to his bar in Lhasa says almost the same thing.
Hu has lived in Tibet for more than 10 years, running a music bar in downtown Lhasa.
"I came to Lhasa to seek something spiritual. Now I stay here to make money," said Hu, who is originally from Shanghai. "If Lhasa was pure 10 years ago, then now it just disappoints me." Hu went on to lament the frivolous nature of the hipsters that have been swarming to Tibet in larger numbers.
"Many young people now use Tibet as a glittering cover to the ugly fact that they are actually losers," said Hu. "If you cannot find a job, go to Tibet; if you break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, go to Tibet; if you fail at doing anything, go to Tibet. Tibet is almost the almighty solution to everything no matter how messy your life is. How is this possible?"
Guo Cheng, who has been staying in Lijiang for two years, understood Hu's sentiments but was less extreme in his views.
A native of Beijing, Guo moved to Lijiang after a breakup with his girlfriend. In the past two years, he has tried his hand at a number of businesses including opening a cafe, selling hats in a night market and designing tattoos.
"This is still a beautiful and artistic place, but the picture of living here is not that artistic at all if you don't have the money to ensure an easy life," said Guo.
"Several years ago when I heard about someone moving to those places I was jealous because I didn't have the courage to follow suit. After hearing stories about things not working out for those people, I'm not so sure any more," said Zhou Qiang, a 26-year-old woman working in an advertisement company in Beijing.
"People get upset with their life and it is not a bad choice to go to another place to relieve the stress and refresh the mind, but after all that you should come back and face your problems with courage. If you just run away from your problems, you life will still be a mess wherever you go," mused Zhou.
Email us at: yuanyuan@bjreview.com | 
