Freedom and dignity: Millennial Chinese leave China for Thailand

Chinese nationals Connie Chen and her husband Gordon Lin Outside their apartment in Chiang Mai. - AFP

CHIANG MAI: Hitting tennis balls across a tree-lined court in Thailand's mountainous north, Connie Chen's weekly private training session is a luxury the Chinese national could barely afford when she lived in Shanghai.

China implemented some of the world's toughest Covid restrictions during the pandemic, putting hundreds of millions of people under prolonged lockdowns. In the aftermath, younger citizens -- exhausted by gruelling and unrewarding jobs -- are taking flight to escape abroad.