Bye, bye big cities - white collars want to flee

SHANGHAI - Soaring housing prices and the high cost of living in major cities are pushing some people to seek greener pastures elsewhere.

The first-tier cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, have long been the first choice among enthusiastic young people, but a new online survey indicates that more than half of white-collar workers are eyeing other cities where life is "more comfortable" and has "less pressure".

The survey was conducted by Digitimes magazine and Data 100 Market Research Company in February.