Chongming

Empty inside

Hu, who has worked in marketing and supply chains for French companies like personal-care giant L'Oreal and sports retailer Decathlon, said that in her career she "appeared happy on the outside, but felt empty inside."

She now sows organic, pesticide- and fertiliser-free sweet potatoes, long beans and other crops on rented plots of land with like-minded friends on Chongming, a large, primarily agricultural island on Shanghai's outskirts.[…]

Liang, who moved to Chongming three years ago, has had to rapidly learn horticulture -- his farmer neighbours and internet websites help -- while dabbling in side work online for extra income.