Lijiang is a city in China's southwestern Yunnan Province. According to social media, every other college grad in China dreams of quitting their jobs to become an innkeeper here.
Hang around Chinese social media long enough and you'll hear about China's 'Four New Yuppie Fads'.
So why do young Chinese professionals want to quit their jobs and retire in Lijiang?
1. First of all: compared to the coastal cities, Lijiang's relatively small, uncluttered and clean (the metro area has 1.2 million people).
2. Yulong Snow Mountain's glaciers are just a few dozen miles outside of the city.
3. Scene walks thread around the city.
4. And there's charming historic architecture aplenty.
Lijiang was an important trading post for the Silk Road, and the old city section is a World Heritage site.
5. Southwestern Chinese (Yunnanese) Chinese cuisine is also severely underrated.
6. There's surprisingly decently nightlife and bars, since it's consistently one of the most popular vacation spots for young people.
7. There's a laid back music festival there.
8. People hang out near canals and drink in the middle of the day.
9. The city's near pristine forests, lakes and other outdoor options.
10. It has its own unique culture.
11. The air's clean and the weather's always sunny.
12. And true to its reputation among young travelers, it's a city of inns and small hideaways.
This skyline is why every college grad in China wants to move here:
