This evening I’d like to share a particularly representative reader question — one that I believe speaks to the hearts of many during these difficult times.
Student Question:
Dear Master Chi, as a reader who follows your articles every day, I’m taking the liberty of writing to you with a question.
This is something I’ve thought over carefully — I spent a long time typing it out, working up the courage to finally send it. And I believe it also speaks for many of our brothers and sisters who’ve been feeling the same way lately.
In short: I’ve been deeply unsettled by the broader environment. There’s a persistent emptiness in my chest — a feeling of having no solid ground under my feet.
On one side, turbulence sweeps through industry after industry. On the other, the real estate market is teetering on the edge, and the stock market shows no light at the end of the tunnel in the near term.
The pressure feels immense, and life has lost much of its spark.
I’m now in my early forties. My wife and I both work at local institutions here in Hangzhou — we own a home, have a car, and live a decent life. But I just can’t see the path forward.
To make things more complicated, some friends have been suggesting I emigrate — move abroad, they say. Life in the developed world is more relaxed, more zen. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
— A middle-aged man who’s lost his bearings
Master Chi’s Response:
My middle-aged friend — let me answer your question in reverse.
First: I do not support emigration for anyone who isn’t absolutely certain about it. If you don’t have a powerful, compelling reason that makes leaving feel non-negotiable, don’t even entertain the idea.
I’ve traveled the world extensively and spent many years living abroad. Let me leave you with one thought:
“Emigration should go with the current — never burn your boats behind you.”
Because objectively speaking, there is no perfect paradise anywhere on this earth. Every place has problems — some you can see, some you can’t.
Take Canada, which so many people once idealized. When they actually arrived, they discovered that the “low-stress, no-rat-race” lifestyle others talked about came with a prerequisite: you had to arrive with substantial savings, buy a home outright, and essentially retire early without needing to hustle. Then, as people age and healthcare needs emerge, they suddenly find themselves missing the convenience of home.
Or take Scandinavia, which has become many people’s current dream — this tranquil, zen paradise. But those who actually move there often wilt. The endless winter darkness, the austere and almost monastic simplicity of daily life, the invisible discrimination and quiet exclusion that makes you feel like a permanent outsider — the loneliness can be profound.
Does that mean everywhere else is a disaster? Not at all. Every place has its strengths and its shortcomings.
But here’s the thing: people in their middle years, adrift in a fog of uncertainty, are exactly the most likely to overlook both the pros and cons. One impulsive decision later, the whole family has relocated somewhere that may not suit them at all — and now they’re stuck, unable to move forward or go back.
That’s why I say: emigration should go with the current. If you and your wife have both had rich experience living abroad, and you’ve arrived at a clear, considered conclusion that a particular place genuinely suits you — and you can make peace with all the negatives that come with living there — then by all means, make that move. That is wisdom.
Speaking from my own experience: I travel constantly, and I’ve lived in both the US and Canada for many years. It’s given me a sharper, clearer view of things.
And right now, in this very moment, it is quite literally true that life is hard everywhere in the world.
In the United States, prices are soaring and the cost of living has exploded. Americans who’ve known only abundance are now having to count every penny.
In Canada right now, jobs are extraordinarily hard to find — even graduates from U of T, UBC, and UWO are struggling to land anything reliable.
Scandinavia is no exception: sky-high prices, expensive utilities, major corporations contracting, and social welfare benefits being slashed across the board.
I won’t go through every other country — you have your own channels to learn what’s happening there.
I can’t honestly tell you “the whole world is in chaos, and only here is thriving.” But within this global economic resonance, we’re actually managing reasonably well.
So let me offer a few thoughts to my middle-aged friend.
First, my overall sense is that these next couple of years call for stability above all. As a middle-aged person, as long as you don’t squander what you have and stay out of serious trouble — that in itself is already a great fortune.
Beyond that, if you can allocate to certain specific assets, even better. For instance:
- US index funds — available on most major platforms; just stick with the large, reputable ones.
- Core Hong Kong stocks, particularly the Li family holdings. Don’t underestimate this man. His positioning may sometimes seem ambiguous, but his major decisions have rarely been wrong.
- Tier 1 and near-tier-1 city properties in core and near-core locations — I mention this every time it comes up.
- In sectors: core players in new energy, semiconductors, the internet, electric vehicles, energy storage, solar, aviation, aerospace, defense, and precision instruments are all solid. Just stay far away from speculative pump-and-dump stocks.
Here’s another principle to live by: stay steady in the big picture, while quietly expanding on the margins.
Keep widening your personal capabilities. Make yourself more capable — from major competencies like professional expertise and investment understanding, all the way down to photography, Photoshop, home repairs, first aid, basic pharmacology, and cooking. A rough working knowledge in each is enough.
Here’s something I firmly believe: the future will be an era where individual human skills rise dramatically in value. If you can handle things yourself, you save money and avoid being taken advantage of. This trend will unfold the same way across every major country in the world.
Finally — cherish the peace and quiet of your life. Take good care of yourself and the people you love.