Chinese woman quits high-paying corporate job to live alone on remote island, says goodbye to burnout

Imagine trading the neon buzz of Beijing's skyscrapers - endless meetings, soul-crushing commutes, and a paycheck that barely buys peace - for the whisper of waves on a lonely island, with nothing but fish and the horizon as your coworkers.

That's exactly what Yue Li, a trailblazing woman from the 1980s generation, did in December 2025. Her story of ditching a high-flying senior manager job for a quiet, low-paid life as a fish quality inspector on remote Dongzhai Island in the East China Sea has gone viral on the internet, stirring envy, inspiration, and a collective sigh of "why can't that be me?" among people on social media, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).

It's the ultimate rebellion against burnout, and a love letter to solitude.

All about Yue Li's leap of faith towards a slow life

Yue's old life in Beijing was the stuff of corporate nightmares. Picture this: Nearly 20 years of climbing the ladder at a massive property development firm, only to be trapped in a pressure cooker. She worked for work 300 days a year, chasing deals in hotel conference rooms. Back home? A gruelling four-hour daily commute - stealing precious hours from sleep, family, or even a quiet cup of tea.

The exhaustion seems to have piled up - so much so that Yue decided to trade off her high paying corporate job for a modest 3,000 yuan a month job on the uninhabited Dongzhai Island, reported City Express.Reports suggest that the nearest town is Daishan is 40 kilometers away from Dongzhai Island.Now, on Dongzhai, a barren speck amid a handful of empty nearby isles - Yue's days are a poetic rhythm of nature. For a living, she checks fish feeding gear at the base, logs water temperatures, tracks tides, and watches her aquatic charges grow well.

No emails pinging at midnight. No boardroom battles. Just her, the sea, and the Sun painting the sky in impossible pinks.Yue's unconventional choice echoes a global whisper - millions quietly quitting the corporate rat race for van life, farms, or forests.What are your views on this unusual leap of faith towards a slower, more peaceful life? Tell us in the comments below.