China’s metropolises are witnessing a decline. The three-year pandemic has resulted in the closure of countless small and medium-sized enterprises. Compounded by foreign capital withdrawal and waves of job cuts, the economic vitality of once-prosperous cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou is dwindling, as they experience population decline for the first time this year. By the end of 2022, Beijing and Shanghai saw their population reduce by 43,000 and 135,400, respectively. This marked the
