In Beijing, why do young people not favor the East Third Ring Road anymore?

"In Beijing, you can't simply swipe your card freely at Guomao with just a bit of effort, nor can you live a decent life within the Third Ring Road with just a bit more effort. Only with twelve times the effort can you have a chance to live an ideal life here." In the hit TV series "Beijing Women's Guide" in 2018, the screenwriter said this to young people through Qi Wei.  

In the stereotypical impression, the area within the Third Ring Road is the ideal life, the area within the Fourth Ring Road is a bustling city, and the area within the Fifth Ring Road is the urban area of Beijing. Beyond the Fifth Ring Road is only Beijing in a geographical sense.  

But there is another truth in reality: In Beijing, more and more young people are saying goodbye to the "East Third Ring Road" and the urban area, and moving to the suburbs in groups.

From the City to Shunyi

According to the data released by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics and the district governments every year, since 2015, Chaoyang, one of the six urban districts known as the "East Rich", has seen a decrease of about 540,000 permanent residents; the other five urban districts, Dongcheng, Xicheng, Haidian, Fengtai, and Shijingshan, have also seen a decrease of 197,000, 211,000, 596,000, 373,000, and 105,000 people respectively.  

On the contrary, the population in the suburbs of Beijing has shown a strong upward trend in recent years and is becoming increasingly younger.

Shunyi is one of the "noticeable ones". As the northern suburb closest to the urban area, it has accepted most of the "outflow" population from Chaoyang. Since 2015, when the population in all urban districts began to decline, the permanent resident population here has increased by nearly 300,000.  

In the past, except for local residents and aviation practitioners, this place was also a famous settlement for high-income families. The representative group is the "Shunyi Moms" who were highly recognizable on the Internet. This group mainly lives in the Central Villa District along the Wenyu River.

Around 2021, young Beipiao who had been struggling in the city moved to Shunyi in large numbers to achieve a higher quality of life. According to the Beijing census data, from 2021 to 2023, the population aged 20-44 in Shunyi District increased from 186,000 to about 198,000; while in the same period, the same age group in Chaoyang District decreased from 862,000 to 810,000.  

More and more workers in Wangjing choose Shunyi. It only takes 26 minutes to reach Wangjing from Houshayu by Metro Line 15. With the same rental budget of 5,000 yuan, in Wangjing, one can only rent an old and small one-bedroom apartment without an elevator; while in Houshayu, one can get a nearly two-bedroom and one-living room new apartment. Due to its complete supporting facilities and convenient living, the Houshayu area has become the first choice for many middle-class people who pursue a quality life.  

Further extending to the northeast are the Nanfaxin and Mapo areas. Nanfaxin, due to its closer geographical location to the Capital Airport, attracts workers who often need to travel on business. Although the supporting facilities in this area are relatively incomplete, for those tenants who value commuting efficiency and living costs, Nanfaxin provides an economical choice.  

There are also some people who like to "live in small courtyards" or workers in cheap urban villages, who flock to areas such as Mapo, quietly experiencing another side of Beijing.

Top: A two-bedroom and one-living room in Shunyi with a monthly rent of 4,200 yuan. Bottom: An old and small apartment in Wangjing with a monthly rent of 5,300 yuan (Image from the Beike app)

The "migration" of Beipiao has made the once spacious and even slightly empty Metro Line 15 gradually filled with young commuters.  

But even if it requires a longer commuting time, today's young people are more willing to choose a residence that they think is more comfortable and cost-effective, escaping from the expensive and crowded partitioned rooms near Wangjing and Guomao.

A woman named Manman, who works in the Internet industry and has been a Beipiao for eight years, lived in Lishuiqiao, Tiantongyuan, and Qingnian Road. After jumping to a new company in Wangjing from Houchangcun, she decided to settle in Houshayu.  

In the past, when working in Houchangcun, Manman shared a rental apartment with colleagues in a Tiantongyuan community with four or even five bedrooms. The single room in the shared apartment was less than 15 square meters, as if she had returned to the primitive cave-dwelling era.  

Every day, she had to queue for half an hour outside the subway station for her commute. During the rainy season, the queue was even longer, and her calves would be soaked in rainwater for nearly an hour. Every time there was a heavy rain, Manman would bring a hair dryer and a change of clothes and change at the company.  

She once joked, "I'm thirty, and it's the age of hard work. A little rain is nothing."  

But after tasting the convenience of a smooth commute directly to the company, she no longer wants to return to the "struggle" scene of queuing with her calves soaked in muddy water. There's no need to suffer without reason.

After moving to a closed community in Shunyi, she only spent 4,000 yuan per month on a one-bedroom and one-living room apartment, which is equivalent to the previous shared rental price, but the greenery, property management, and supporting facilities have been comprehensively upgraded.  

And the commute almost doesn't require walking. From her residence to the company, she only needs to take the shuttle bus to the subway station at the community entrance, then enter Metro Line 15, and she can arrive in 21 minutes. "There's no need to walk at all. My electric bike has gathered dust. If I have to walk, it takes 15 minutes from the community to the subway station, and 6 minutes by shared bike."  

Atmosphere

Shunyi is a highly inclusive area.  

There is a Luoma Lake in Shunyi, which is regarded by the locals as the "Little Erhai Lake". It sounds very international, but it has nothing to do with Rome. It is named because it is located between Luogezhuang and Matouzhuang, thus giving it a unique local charm.  

Next to Luoma Lake, there is a newly built lakeside park with a name that is very in line with the requirements of the times: Shunyi Talent Park.  

Although the names are given casually, they do not affect the presentation of Shunyi's unique style. The lakeside walking path is naturally connected to the surrounding roads, woods, cafes, and restaurants. It is a check-in point for cyclists' leisure cycling routes and one of the most relaxing spots to chase the evening glow in Beijing. And in the parking lot by the lake, RVs and off-road vehicles with paddleboards are densely interspersed among a row of sedans.  

Near the west gate of Luoma Lake Park, there is a big market every Wednesday and Sunday. When city people are planning a "morning market trip" for their holiday travel, the Luoma Lake Market has easily captured the urbanites' pursuit of the market atmosphere with the prices of third- and fourth-tier cities and the free-range roosters running around.

Luoma Lake Market

The rich people living in the villa area, the middle-class people living in the foreign-style houses, and the ordinary people living in the old and large houses may all become the "destined ones" of the stall owners at the market. They spend a little money to get some hustle and bustle, and then go their separate ways back to their respective communities.  

Houses with different prices and separated by roads and fences are the simplest way to separate people. The market atmosphere and the "old money style" have their own different lives, and occasionally they may look at each other across the table in the café in the art district or stand in the same long queue at Sam's.  

But most of the time, they are distinct and at peace with each other. The old money has their own favorite exclusive places, such as Jenny Wang.

This high-end supermarket chain has a total of 7 stores in Beijing, and 4 of them are in Shunyi.  

Due to the Wenyu River and the Chaobai River flowing through the area, as well as its proximity to the embassy area and the Capital Airport, the superior environmental resources have made Shunyi the earliest high-end villa community in Beijing. Therefore, there are more high-end supermarkets, tennis courts, and American-style restaurants here.  

Compared to Sanlitun and Huamao, which are gradually occupied by luxury brands, Shunyi has many "hidden" treasure spaces, such as more designer boutiques with a stronger sense of design; and kayaking that is more cost-effective than Liangma River.  

Yide Cultural and Creative Park in Shunyi 

The new middle-class and young people who have now moved into Shunyi are exploring them and sharing this superior environment and business resources.  

Last year, Haoyang, who decided to settle in Houshayu, is one of them. He is an automotive media professional who has a high pursuit of quality of life. When preparing to buy a house, Haoyang looked at many areas, but was finally attracted by the strong "old money style" that pervades Shunyi, which is an atmosphere that can continuously expand the boundaries of his life.

Of course, another more realistic factor is that here one can buy a house with a better cost performance and a better layout. With Haoyang's budget of 8 million yuan, in a good location in the city, one might only be able to buy a 100-square-meter house, but in Houshayu, this space could be expanded to 150 square meters.  

And Houshayu is the most fashionable area in the entire Shunyi. "The upper limit of house prices in this area is very high, with villa projects worth tens of millions. The social circle is high-end, and the upper limits of the commercial, medical, and educational supporting facilities are also very high. Plus, it is close to the airport (or maybe because embassy staff were concentrated here in the early years), so the overall area is very international." At the same time, there are also many foreign-funded enterprises such as Procter & Gamble, Bayer, and the BMW Research and Development Center gathered here. But the living density is still lower than in the city, and even lower than in Daxing and Tongzhou.

According to Haoyang, "A house should not just be a living space, but a residence that needs to provide emotional value." And the living atmosphere in Houshayu precisely meets all his needs.  

From "Oxen and Horses" to Humans

The first batch of young people who entered Shunyi were mostly "squeezed" out by the continuously rising house prices and rents in the city.  

The earliest representative is Zhang Songwen. In 2009, Zhang Songwen, who was still an extra, quit his job as an assistant at the Beijing Film Academy and moved into a small courtyard in Shunyi because he couldn't afford the high rent in the urban area of Beijing. He planted flowers, fruits, and vegetables in the courtyard, helped his neighbors who were selling flowers at the village market, and skillfully sprinkled seasonings on the freshly fried chicken at the roadside fried chicken shop.  

When bored, Zhang Songwen would go kayaking on the Chaobai River or stare blankly at the lake surface, and then ride his motorcycle home. He said that the bungalow he lived in was very comfortable, and many friends loved to visit his courtyard. The life atmosphere gave him great comfort.  

Now, more young people are following in his footsteps. Some students who graduated from the art academy moved from the dormitory in Wangjing to the self-built houses in Shunyi to continue their artistic journey.

From Wangjing, Jiuxianqiao to Caochangdi, and then to Shunyi, there is an "artistic belt" integrated among the high-rise buildings. Among them, the famous 798 has long become unfriendly to young artists due to the arrival of a large number of tourists and commercial development, while Shunyi strikes a perfect balance between creative space and life.  

Here, with an annual rent of less than 100,000 yuan, one can rent a 200-300 square meter independent space in Luogezhuang. Over time, a street will gather white-collar workers who just graduated from school and work in large companies like Alibaba, young entrepreneurs with shining eyes, and art academy graduates who are constantly awakening in the courtyard with a sky and a ground. This place leaves sufficient growth space for those with dreams.  

With the rapid development of Beijing and the large-scale development of new areas in recent years, the pace of life in the "urban area" is getting faster and faster. The high-end Guomao, the trendy Sanlitun, the glamorous Financial Street, the education-focused Haidian... Each area has a certain label engraved in its bones, and the residents are also becoming more and more "pure".  

And at this time, the urban extension areas like Shunyi are emitting a more inclusive atmosphere and have become another choice that young people actively embrace.

In 2022, Wang Yuli graduated from the Photography Institute of the Beijing Film Academy and entered a studio to start exerting her imagination in culture and design.  

She has very specific requirements for the house. First, the floor height of the house should be more than 3 meters, otherwise, there would not be enough space to place the photography lights needed for work. Second, the lighting should be good, and it would be best if it could be close to the ground. These can not only bring work inspiration but also leave space to accommodate the "metal" and "wood" to match her Five Elements, allowing people and the house to nourish each other.  

It is very difficult to find a house that matches these requirements in the city. Even if there is, it is extremely expensive.  

Her search radius continued to expand, and finally, she saw Houshayu. Here, there is a first-floor duplex that completely meets her requirements. The