The inland city of Chengdu in southwestern China is often ridiculed for its slow-paced and leisurely lifestyle. It’s portrayed as a haven for slackers, lacking the unrelenting, hardworking culture found in wealthy coastal trade centers like Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

中国西南部的内陆城市成都常因其慢节奏和悠闲的生活方式被调侃。这座城市被描绘成懒人的避风港，缺乏上海、广州和深圳等富裕沿海贸易中心那种不断进取、勤奋工作的文化氛围。

For decades, industrious young people left Chengdu, and other landlocked urban centers, to pursue opportunities near the coast, where money poured in as China opened its factories and exported its goods to the rest of the world.

几十年来，勤奋的年轻人离开成都及其他内陆城市，前往沿海地区追寻机会——随着中国建设工厂并向全球出口商品，财富不断涌入这些地区。

Even before China’s trade war with the United States, more young people were turning away from the hypercompetitive work culture found in the country’s megacities, opting for a more chill life in Chengdu, which has earned the reputation of being “China’s happiest city.”

甚至在中国与美国的贸易战前，就已经有更多的年轻人开始远离一线城市高度竞争性的工作文化，选择在成都过上更放松的生活，这座城市也因此赢得了“中国最具幸福感城市”的美誉。

Chengdu is one of the fastest-growing cities in China. Its population has surged 30 percent in the last five years to 21.5 million, and its real estate market is booming — a rare bright spot amid the country’s property crisis.

如今，成都是中国发展最快的城市之一。过去五年里，该市人口激增30%，达到2150万，房地产市场蓬勃发展，成为中国房地产危机中罕见的亮点。

The appeal of Chengdu, an ancient city with a history dating back more than 2,300 years, reflects a budding disillusionment among young people who see an economy that is no longer creating the opportunities it once did for their parents.

这座拥有2300多年历史的古城的吸引力反映出年轻人中逐渐萌芽的幻灭感：他们看到中国经济已经无法像父辈时代那样创造大量机会。

As its exports have surged, drawing tariffs from President Trump, China’s domestic economy has struggled. Consumers have been wary of spending, a continuing trend shown again in new monthly government data released on Monday.

在出口激增招致特朗普政府关税同时，中国国内经济陷入困境。消费者一直不敢消费，周一发布的最新月度政府数据再次印证了这一持续趋势。

Better pay and a successful career are not a guaranteed trade-off for endless workdays and the grind of living in crowded and unaffordable cities. Wuhan, another inland city and the capital of Hubei Province, has also experienced a significant increase in residents over the past four years.

无休止的工作日和在拥挤、生活成本高昂的城市中挣扎已经不能保证可以换来更高的薪水和成功的事业。过去四年，另一个内陆城市、湖北省会武汉的人口也显著增长。

成都的房价上涨是中国所有大城市中最快的，没有受到该国持续已久的房地产颓势影响。

Jobs in Chengdu generally pay less than those in other major cities, and the opportunities for career advancement are more limited, but it is a less stressful place to live.

成都的薪资水平普遍低于其他主要城市，职业晋升机会也更有限，但这里的生活压力较小。

“Chengdu is more friendly to young people in every aspect,” said Wang Di, a history professor at the University of Macau who has written extensively about the city. He compared Chengdu to Austin, Texas — another city known for its embrace of art and counterculture.

“成都在各个方面都对年轻人更友好，”澳门大学历史教授王笛说，他撰写过大量关于这座城市的著作。他将成都比作美国得克萨斯州的奥斯汀——另一座以拥抱艺术和反主流文化著称的城市。

While the Chinese government is growing increasingly repressive, Chengdu has a vibrant L.G.B.T.Q. community, a thriving hip-hop scene and a plethora of teahouses.

尽管中国政府的管控日益严格，成都仍拥有活跃的LGBTQ群体、繁荣的嘻哈文化和许许多多的茶馆。

And, of course, there are the pandas. Chengdu is home to hundreds of giant pandas.

当然，还有大熊猫。成都生活着数以百计大熊猫。

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding attracted more than 12.2 million visitors last year, according to Chinese state media.

据中国官方媒体报道，成都大熊猫繁育研究基地去年吸引了超过1220万游客。

With an influx of transplants and returnees, housing prices in Chengdu have increased at a faster rate than in any other major city in China.

随着外来人口和返乡者的涌入，成都房价的涨幅超过中国其他所有主要城市。

Since 2021, the average home price per square meter rose 16.8 percent, compared with a 5.4 percent increase on average for 10 major Chinese cities, according to statistics from China Index Academy, a real estate research firm.

房地产研究机构中国指数研究院的数据显示，自2021年以来，成都住宅每平方米均价上涨16.8%，而中国10个主要城市的平均涨幅为5.4%。

成都的人口在过去五年里增长了30%，达到2150万。

Hu Sheng, 36, moved to Chengdu from a smaller nearby city in Sichuan Province to work in the construction and renovation industry. He has been looking for a three-bedroom apartment, but prime properties go off the market quickly, he said.

36岁的胡胜（音）从四川省内一个较小的城市搬到成都，从事建筑和装修行业。他一直在寻找一套三居室公寓，但他说，优质房源很快就会售罄。

“There are a lot of people buying homes now,” Mr. Hu said. “Everyone is scrambling for those apartments.”

“现在买房的人很多，”胡胜说，“大家都在抢着买房子。”

As China’s westernmost major city, Chengdu has long played a role in national security. Starting in the 1960s, the government invested heavily to move military defense and transport manufacturing inland as a way to protect these critical industries from potential foreign invaders.

作为中国西部的主要城市，成都长期在国家安全方面扮演重要角色。从20世纪60年代开始，政府大力投资，将国防和运输制造业转移到内陆，以保护这些关键产业免受潜在外国侵略者的威胁。

Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, has pledged to bolster the country’s industries for cutting-edge technology such as semiconductors and reduce its reliance on foreign firms. Economists have speculated that a similar focus on strategic domestic industries may bring more companies to Chengdu and its inland cities.

中国最高领导人习近平承诺要加强半导体等尖端技术产业，并减少对外国公司的依赖。经济学家推测，对国内战略产业的类似关注可能会将更多企业带到成都及其他内陆城市。

Currently, about 70 percent of Chengdu’s economy derives from the service sector, which includes spending from tourism and dining at the city’s popular spicy hot pot restaurants. It is not as reliant on manufacturing as other locations are, insulating it from the most devastating impact of the tariff battle with the United States.

目前，成都约70%的经济来源于服务业，包括旅游业和在生意火爆的麻辣火锅店的消费。它不像其他地区那样依赖制造业，这使其在与美国的关税战中免受最具破坏性的影响。

There is also a thriving entertainment sector in Chengdu. The animated film “Ne Zha 2,” which became China’s highest-grossing movie ever upon its release this year, was produced by a studio in Chengdu. The city has also become a hub for video game development, driven in part by Chengdu’s emergence as a center for the e-sports industry.

成都的娱乐产业也十分繁荣。今年上映后成为中国有史以来票房最高电影的动画片《哪吒 2》就是由成都一家工作室制作的。随着成都成为电子竞技产业的中心，它也成为了电子游戏开发的枢纽。

成都大熊猫繁育研究基地去年吸引了超过1220万游客。

Huang Xue, a general manager at the Chengdu branch of China Index Academy, a property market data provider, said housing prices in the city were more in line with wages than in other cities.

房地产市场数据提供商中国指数研究院成都分院总经理黄雪（音）表示，相比其他城市，成都的房价与工资水平的匹配更合理。

Ultimately, though, people are turning to Chengdu because at a time of economic uncertainty across China, she said, “people should enjoy life when they can.”

不过，她指出，归根结底，人们选择成都的原因在于：在中国经济充满不确定性的当下，“人们应该及时行乐。”

Three years ago, Emma Ma, 30, left Beijing to move to Chengdu, where she is running a studio producing music videos with her partner.

三年前，30岁的艾玛·马（音）从北京搬到成都，与合伙人经营一家制作音乐视频的工作室。

She said she was renting a two-bedroom apartment for about $400 a month, which would barely cover the cost of a bedroom in a shared apartment in Beijing. She and her partner also hired a helper to do chores and make dinners for them.

她说，她租了一套两居室，每月租金约2900元人民币，这笔钱在北京租合租房里的一间卧室都勉强。她和合伙人还雇了一个人帮忙做一些杂事，并给他们做晚饭。

“I feel it doesn’t cost a lot to be happy here,” Ms. Ma said.

“我觉得在这里，获得快乐不需要花很多钱，”艾玛·马说。

Professor Wang said the negative perception of a slower lifestyle had changed in China after the Covid-19 pandemic, when cities like Shanghai were locked down for months. The relative stability of daily life in Chengdu, once considered dull, became more appealing, he said.

王笛表示，在新冠疫情期间上海等城市被封锁数月后，中国人对慢生活的负面看法已发生改变。他说，成都的日常生活相对稳定，曾经被认为是枯燥的，如今却越来越有吸引力。

Treasure Wu left Chengdu in 2018 to work as a computer programmer in Shanghai. Mr. Wu said he did not enjoy his life there. His rent was expensive, he could not understand the Shanghai dialect and he quickly grew bored of visiting local landmarks.

特雷热·吴（音）2018年离开成都，去上海做计算机程序员。他说在那里的生活并不愉快：房租昂贵，听不懂上海话，而那些著名景点他很快就厌倦了。

成都的一处街边市场。

Two years later, he moved back to Chengdu. His company was expanding, and he was offered the chance to transfer.

两年后，他搬回了成都。当时公司正在扩张，他获得了调职机会。

Mr. Wu said he bought an apartment in Chengdu in 2022 for around $300,000. A similar size apartment would cost three times as much in Shanghai, he said.

特雷热·吴说，2022年，他在成都买了一套公寓，花费约220万元人民币。他说，同样大小的公寓在上海的价格是这里的三倍。

“My salary here is enough to support me in buying whatever I want,” Mr. Wu said. “I have a great sense of well-being in Chengdu.”

“我在这里的工资足够我想买什么就买什么，”特雷热·吴说，“我在成都的生活幸福满满。”