Living the City Dream

When she obtained her master’s degree this year, Zhu Yanyan decided to leave Beijing after residing in the capital for six years and go back to her hometown in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, to settle down. “Compared with Beijing or Shanghai, the cost of living in Chengdu is lower, making life less stressful—but no less convenient,” Zhu explained.

In September, the National Bureau of Statistics released a list of China’s megacities and supercities based on the seventh national census results released in May. The number of such metropolises reached 21, among nearly 700 cities nationwide. For the first time, Chengdu, too, was listed as a megacity.

In October, a detailed guideline on the promotion