Instead of working overtime on Tuesday evening as usual (I usually leave work after 6 pm to avoid the evening rush hour), I rushed to the airport by subway to catch an 8:30 flight to Beijing. I was attending the JFrog China Jenkins, Artifactory & Kubernetes hands-on training camp in Wangjing, Beijing, the next day.
Firstly, my company provides each employee with two days of paid training leave per year. If there’s a suitable training opportunity, I’ll cover the additional costs myself. Secondly, the training content was closely related to my current work, and I wanted to learn about industry best practices and exchange ideas with my peers.
Before my trip, I asked my manager for leave and inquired about the budget for similar training. My manager asked me to submit a cost estimate. I calculated the cost of airfare and hotel, and my manager applied for it with the company, also applying for meal expenses. The company agreed, with the only condition being that I would give a presentation upon my return. So I went to the JFrog DevOps training camp with this task, and I am especially grateful to my manager and company.
Revisiting Beijing#
It’s been over five years since I left Beijing. This was the longest 48 hours I’ve spent in Beijing, my previous visits were just layovers. Although I worked in Beijing before, I didn’t pay much attention to life then. This time, I intentionally observed more, constantly pondering: if given the chance to return to Beijing, would I still only plan to work there for a few years as I did before?
It was already 10:30 pm when I landed. The traffic on the airport expressway to Wangjing was still heavy. Beijing’s nightlife felt the same as before—two or three hours later than in smaller cities. Five years ago in Beijing, I usually left work after 9 pm, sometimes even later if there was a deployment, only getting home in the middle of the night and arriving at the office the next afternoon. My daily schedule was five or six hours later than it is now in smaller cities.
My current life is a 9-to-6 job, I don’t advocate overtime, and while I’m busy during work hours, most people don’t work overtime, it’s voluntary. During a business trip to the US, I found many US colleagues worked from 7-8 am. They usually had simple and quick lunches. If they were busy, they immediately returned to work, leaving the office around 3-4 pm. Very few stayed until 5-6 pm, but their work efficiency didn’t seem any worse. This reminded me of the intense 996 working hour debate this year. Perhaps it’s ultimately due to our stage of social development. Young people are under immense pressure to earn money to buy houses. Those with children have their parents to help take care of them, and older generations don’t think about their retirement, focusing more on helping their children. This allows young people to work 996. But Americans can’t do that. They are realistic, if they don’t leave work by 3 or 4 pm, there’s no one to pick up their children. They need family time. Therefore, what should be shouldered by companies or even society, is instead borne by the whole society, making 996 unavoidable.
During rush hour, elderly people were directing traffic at some intersections in Wangjing. When the light turned green, a large number of electric bicycles and bicycles mixed with pedestrians, and I was always worried about getting hit. In the evening, after dinner, on the way back, there was no one directing traffic. The situation of pedestrians, bicycles, and electric bicycles crossing the road at a red light was quite common, resulting in low traffic efficiency when the light turned green. Also, while walking, bicycles and electric bicycles frequently passed by, making me constantly worry about being hit. This feeling of anxiety while walking is uncomfortable.
I had lunch with a friend and listened to him talk about his work over the past five years. He had changed several companies, experiencing office politics and even a failed P2P company (with unpaid wages and ongoing arbitration). Discussing the recent layoffs in major Beijing tech companies and the recent layoff wave at NetEase, I felt that it’s difficult no matter where you are. As he’s about to become a father, he, who had never considered leaving Beijing, now wants to leave. If he can’t buy a small apartment in Beijing in the future, he might return to his hometown and live in the house he already owns.
With cost-cutting measures, many companies are moving to second- and third-tier cities, where rent is four or five times cheaper than in Beijing. If they can recruit people, they can establish themselves in these smaller cities. When I was in Beijing, my roommate worked at China Mobile Research Institute. Later, the institute moved to Suzhou, and he and several colleagues moved there as well. They’ve already bought houses there, and the environment is good. They have their own homes, decent salaries, and a comfortable life. Especially in the software industry, some companies allow remote work, so as long as you meet the job requirements, everything else is fine. I know some friends whose company closed its Beijing office, and they now work from home, occasionally traveling to offices in smaller cities for work and team interaction.
The question kept lingering in my mind: given another chance, would I still choose to live in Beijing? My decision remains the same as before—to return to my current city.
I like the work-life balance here. Overtime is voluntary and for self-improvement, not forced for show. I like the sea here; after lunch, I can walk to the beach with colleagues. I like being close to my parents; a half-hour drive allows frequent visits and care. I like living in my own house; I don’t have to worry about moving and can continuously improve my living environment. I like that it’s not too crowded here, there are all the necessary shops and malls, and the subway makes getting around easy.
The training ended at 5 pm on Thursday. After dinner, I rushed to the airport and returned home overnight, returning to work the next day. These two short days, traveling between two cities for work and training, a 40-minute flight, felt like I never left, highlighting the convenience of modern transportation.
Wishing everyone a fulfilling life.
December 1, 2019 23:55:00