Living in the Downtown Areas vs. Living in the Countryside

張貼日期：Mar 29, 2018 3:2:59 PM

Zoe Lee

When I was 3 years old, my family moved from my hometown to Guangzhou for my father and my mum started a new manufacturing plant here. Up to now, we have been living in the downtown area of Guangzhou for roughly 20 years. In accordance with my observation, living in the downtown areas and living in the countryside are distinct in many aspects. I prefer to live in the countryside due to the lifestyle, subsistence expenses, and the environment.

The fast pace and fierce competition make those who live in the downtown areas feel stressed and weary, since they concentrate on their work and study a lot. On the contrary, the lifestyle of the countryside is more relaxing and enjoyable. People in the countryside are not always anxious about the heavy workload and bear the working pressure. They possess the chance to lead a more peaceful bucolic life. They can cultivate flowers and plants in their fields and raise green vegetables, melons and fruits for themselves.

Taking the subsistence expenses into consideration, the cost of living in the downtown areas is extremely high compared to living in the countryside. If one person lives in the downtown areas, his daily expenses must be costly, as the price of commodities in the downtown areas is higher than that in the countryside. For instance, a cup of milk tea sells for around 30 RMB in the city center, such as Zhujiang New Town or Teemall, while a cup of milk tea costs only 10 RMB in my hometown. In addition, living goods, vegetables and fruit in downtown areas are also more high-priced than those in the countryside. Moreover, those who live in the downtown areas should pay for the parking fee, the fee of property management of their residence and so on, but all of those kinds of fees are unnecessary in the countryside.

When it comes to the environment in the downtown areas and in the countryside, the city is much more densely populated, crowded and noisier, whereas the countryside is more sparsely populated, spacious and tranquil. Every year, oceans of individuals swarm into the big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou for making a living. It makes the downtown areas of the cities very congested in that most folks go to work or go shopping there every day. One day, I went to a class at peak hours by underground. I stood before the waiting line; after a while, the subway came and the door opened. A crowd pushed me into the carriage, and the subway door cannot be closed. At that moment, the carriage was so crowded that we were packed like sardines in a small can. As far as I am concerned, that kind of thing would never happen in my hometown. Living in the countryside, we have a big and well-ventilated house with a yard. When we step out of our houses, we catch sight of the green surroundings and breathe fresh air. Dissimilarly, people in the downtown areas live in their apartments, and their buildings are very close to each other. They live in a relatively confined environment.

Compared with living in the downtown areas, living in the countryside is more attractive for its peaceful and relaxing lifestyle, economical subsistence expenses and pleasing environment. As a lover of Nature, I think that the blue sky, the green paddy fields and the limpid streams are appealing to me. Therefore, living in the countryside is absolutely a better choice for me.