China’s digital nomads trade mega-cities for backpacker havens

The Dali Hub co-working space for digital nomads in Dali, Yunnan province, China. — Bloomberg

After a hard day’s work, programmer Richard Hao powers down his laptop in a cafe overlooking Dali’s picturesque lake and drinks in the view.

Like a growing number of digital nomads in China, he’s turned his back on big-city living and moved to the tourist hub in Yunnan province, famed for its snowcapped mountains, ancient temples and pagodas.