White-collar yuppie thrives in city's business district

With a fear of heights and crowds, the CBD seems an unlikely place for Alex Pringle to live. Yet, six years ago, he joined the ranks of young professionals who live in the ritzy CBD core area, a kaleidoscope of corporate headquarters, megamalls, and busy traffic.

"I love it there," he says.

The 29-year-old Brit, who studied history at Bristol University, now works from his seventh-floor apartment in the CBD for the jewelry business. A few years after arriving in Beijing, Pringle ditched his Wudaokou abode in Haidian district.