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Thereâs a reason rural escapism in China has risen over the past several years. Millions are drawn to lifestyle vloggers like Li Ziqi and Dianxi Xiaoge, who portray idyllic countryside lives spent creating everything from food to clothing from scratch. Thereâs even a small but notable group of young people called
fanxiang qingnian, who, in a departure from Chinaâs mass rural-to-urban migration of the past four decades, have opted to return to farm life. Of course, Chinese nationalism and the stateâs push to promote Chinese culture do play a role, but the fact remains that Chinaâs rapid economic growth, not unlike that of its American counterpart, has left its people wanting something more.