Three years ago, many Chinese left their rural hometowns to enjoy a piece of China's economic boom, take it home to their families. This Chinese New Year, it's an entirely different story, according to an article by The Telegraph.
In 2014, the country's year-on-year growth was an impressive 7.3 percent, but the Chinese economy only grew 6.7 percent last year-- the weakest performance in a quarter of a century. As a result, over 280 million Chinese migrants are affected.
One of those affected is Zhang Zhihao, who came to Beijing in 2015 from Henan Province for a chance to make it big and achieve the "Chinese dream."
"I earned only 200 yuan a day at a furniture factory, and if I didn't work on a certain day, then I get nothing," Zhang shared in an interview with The Telegraph. "China's economic problems have deeply affected people like me. Lots of companies have shut down in Beijing, so there are not many places to work."
"I was hoping my future was in Beijing, that was my dream. But now I choose to go back to my parents," he added.
During the Chinese economic boom, millions of Chinese from rural villages left their homes to work in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. As a result, millions of children were left behind by their parents; a tough price to pay in pursuit of higher wages and the dream of economic prosperity.
Now it seems all the sacrifices have been for nothing as the Chinese economy slows down. According to official statistics, the average salary for Chinese migrants fall at about 3,000 yuan a month. Even more alarming is the wage growth in 2015, which only averaged 7.2 percent compared to 2011's 21 percent.
Two other factors cause Chinese migrants to seek work in their hometowns: numerous factories have transferred their production lines in countries with cheaper labour costs, and the cost of living in China's booming coastal cities is rapidly increasing.
According to The Telegraph, more than half of Chinese migrants who have chosen to return home to work have managed to find jobs based on recent figures.