As the adage runs, things you did dictates the life you lead. Nobody is forced to immigrate to Canada even there are always people who make this immigration decision because of others in particular people you care about i.e. your spouse or your children.
As thousands of people in China are preparing for their new starts in Canada, thousands of the overseas Chinese are coming back to China for opportunities.
Those Chinese professional who have obtained a good life in the US are following this gold rush to China. As a friend of mine who is now an American citizen often says, only the losers stay in the states. She has a doctoral degree from Harvard and she is now leading a R&D center based in Jiangsu province. The only problem is to find a good school for her son in Shanghai where her husband will live.
In Canada, the government is facing a severe brain drain caused by the neighboring more successful American economy. Talented people are desperate to leave Canada for better jobs and better pay in the states and elsewhere. Interesting enough, China is one of the receiving destinations. Similar to Singapore, Canada faces the same social and economic problem to maintain the best brains it needs to create a better economy.
In comparison to China our home country, Canada is better in many aspects such as environment and social welfare system but not advanced in all. China certainly has a much more dynamic economy whereas young professional will find more opportunities.
As the Chinese tradition is to put education of their children on top of everything else, better schooling becomes the key reason for most of the Chinese new immigrants to find comfort by dropping professional careers in China in return for labor intensive jobs in the new country.
As China develops, social values are more diverse than Mao’s time. Chinese people are much more confident to pursue individuality and self esteem. Many of them will find things disappointing and less encouraging in China as the traditional ties which held the society together before are disappearing coupled with severe environmental deterioration and social disorder such as rampant corruption. This will create a strong “anti-social” sentiment and such will partially drive those capable people to go to a new place simply for a better life. By saying so, I run a danger of exaggerating this anti-social claim and over-simplifying this complex issue.
For those who want to leave for Canada or want to come back for various reasons, there is one common ground for both sides which is “they all enjoy the privilege to choose the life they want to live”. This freedom symbolizes to a great extend the progress China has made since 1978 and we who belong to this lucky generation should feel grateful for it. That is not to find excuse for problems in China or in Canada.
So once people figure out their priorities in life, the argument seems to be much simple. Those who choose to stay or to go to Canada simply think they will be better-off in Canada. Those who return on the other hand will agree that China is the best place to be comparing to Canada.
What is more important than the green grass and blue sky or luxury office and bulks of RMB is the personal achievement and happiness. Happiness for the Chinese is often based on personal sacrifice. Labor or not does not matter. Your grandchildren will remember you for doing it. Or maybe not!!!