crown

Subscribe Now

FOLLOW US

Sign in

Photos: Young Chinese try to build a future in resource-rich Hegang

Li Hai is a nobody in China. But the 32-year-old ship mechanic became a minor internet sensation last month after posting a video of his everyday life in a largely forgotten coal city in the country's far north. Resource-rich cities like Hegang in Heilongjiang province helped power China's economic miracle. But as their coal, minerals and timber dwindled, their mines and industries declined. Populations shrank as the young fled south in search of jobs, opportunity and love. With China's economic growth at a 30-year nadir and living costs chronically high, cheap homes in hollowed-out cities are pulling a small tribe of frugal and independent-minded millennials to Heilongjiang.

Updated on: Jan 14, 2020 4:17 PM IST

Share via

Copy link

1/8

Ship mechanic Li Hai, 32, inside his flat during an interview with Reuters, in the coal city of Hegang, Heilongjiang province, northeast China. Li is a nobody in the country. But he became a minor internet sensation last month after posting a video of his everyday life in the largely forgotten coal city in the country’s far north. The country’s declining economy is driving some youth to settle in cities like Hegang. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 14, 2020 4:17 PM

Ship mechanic Li Hai, 32, inside his flat during an interview with Reuters, in the coal city of Hegang, Heilongjiang province, northeast China. Li is a nobody in the country. But he became a minor internet sensation last month after posting a video of his everyday life in the largely forgotten coal city in the country’s far north. The country’s declining economy is driving some youth to settle in cities like Hegang. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

2/8

The coal city of Hegang covered in snow. Resource-rich cities like Hegang helped power China’s economic miracle. But as their coal, minerals and timber dwindled, their mines and industries declined. Populations shrank as the young fled south in search of jobs, opportunity and love. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 14, 2020 4:17 PM

The coal city of Hegang covered in snow. Resource-rich cities like Hegang helped power China’s economic miracle. But as their coal, minerals and timber dwindled, their mines and industries declined. Populations shrank as the young fled south in search of jobs, opportunity and love. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

3/8

An icicle hangs off the window frame on a train heading to Hegang, Heilongjiang province. With China’s economic growth at a 30-year nadir and living costs chronically high, cheap homes in hollowed-out cities are pulling a small tribe of frugal and independent-minded millennials to Heilongjiang. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 14, 2020 4:17 PM

An icicle hangs off the window frame on a train heading to Hegang, Heilongjiang province. With China’s economic growth at a 30-year nadir and living costs chronically high, cheap homes in hollowed-out cities are pulling a small tribe of frugal and independent-minded millennials to Heilongjiang. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

4/8

The sun sets over snow-covered field as seen from a train heading to Hegang. Hegang was the cheapest real estate market among China’s 321 larger cities in 2019, a big attraction for Li when he was house-hunting last year. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 14, 2020 4:17 PM

The sun sets over snow-covered field as seen from a train heading to Hegang. Hegang was the cheapest real estate market among China’s 321 larger cities in 2019, a big attraction for Li when he was house-hunting last year. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

5/8

Passengers walk at a train station in Hegang. Li had few friends in his home city of Zhoushan 2,000km to the south. He had become estranged from his parents and his landlord was bent on raising his rent. Often out at sea for a stretch of six months, Li’s thinking was to build a base in Hegang and keep a lid on costs. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 14, 2020 4:17 PM

Passengers walk at a train station in Hegang. Li had few friends in his home city of Zhoushan 2,000km to the south. He had become estranged from his parents and his landlord was bent on raising his rent. Often out at sea for a stretch of six months, Li’s thinking was to build a base in Hegang and keep a lid on costs. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

6/8

Smoke billows from a cooling tower of a thermal power plant near residential buildings in Hegang. “Many drifted here to buy homes as a fail-safe,” said Li, who paid 750 yuan ($100) per square metre for a top-floor flat in a low-rise housing estate. Apartments in Beijing cost 80 times more. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 14, 2020 4:17 PM

Smoke billows from a cooling tower of a thermal power plant near residential buildings in Hegang. “Many drifted here to buy homes as a fail-safe,” said Li, who paid 750 yuan ($100) per square metre for a top-floor flat in a low-rise housing estate. Apartments in Beijing cost 80 times more. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

7/8

Advertisements fill the walls outside a flat at a residential compound in Hegang. Wary of frauds and tricksters, Li has few friends, who, like him, prefer not to go out. “You need money to socialise,” said Li, who earns 60,000 yuan ($8,640) a year. When not in bed with a novel, he would be posting positive product reviews online to get extra cash. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 14, 2020 4:17 PM

Advertisements fill the walls outside a flat at a residential compound in Hegang. Wary of frauds and tricksters, Li has few friends, who, like him, prefer not to go out. “You need money to socialise,” said Li, who earns 60,000 yuan ($8,640) a year. When not in bed with a novel, he would be posting positive product reviews online to get extra cash. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

8/8

People walk next to residential buildings in Hegang. There are other youngsters who are minting profits in the city, like 26-year-old Guangzhou native Zheng Qian, who is now able to save half of his 5,000 yuan-a-month earnings from internet marketing. Last month, he posted a video of himself throwing boiling water that instantly froze in Hegang’s frigid air. The seconds-long clip won him 20 million views on ByteDance’s Douyin, a popular short-video app. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

Updated on Jan 14, 2020 4:17 PM

People walk next to residential buildings in Hegang. There are other youngsters who are minting profits in the city, like 26-year-old Guangzhou native Zheng Qian, who is now able to save half of his 5,000 yuan-a-month earnings from internet marketing. Last month, he posted a video of himself throwing boiling water that instantly froze in Hegang’s frigid air. The seconds-long clip won him 20 million views on ByteDance’s Douyin, a popular short-video app. (Ryan Woo / REUTERS)

Related Photos

Home/Photos/News/Photos: Young Chinese Try To Build A Future In Resource-rich Hegang

© 2026 HindustanTimes