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Back to tradition

Long considered himself fortunate to get off to a good start in his career, graduating from Guizhou Normal University where he studied broadcasting and hosting.

His efforts, including an internship at a local TV station where he learned to work with related equipment and did voice-over work for news broadcasts, earned him a position as a host at the provincial TV station in Guiyang, Guizhou's capital.

Although it was a decent job, Long says that after three years, he started to feel a sense of dissatisfaction.

"On one hand, I had never traveled outside the province since childhood, and I felt like I hadn't seen the world," he says. "On the other hand, the idea that I would end up doing this job until retirement made me feel like I might not be able to explore the possibilities in my life."

In 2016, at the age of 25, Long quit his job, sold his apartment and moved all the way to Beijing without any backup plan.

Stepping out of his comfort zone brought him new benefits. In Beijing, he first worked as a livestreaming sales host, a role he says helped him hone his ability to respond to various situations on the spot.

"As a salesman, I needed to be observant and responsive to various situations. There were no scripts provided, and I had to rely on my improvisation skills," he says.

He then went on to host various programs, including variety shows and live broadcasts for well-known internet companies, allowing him to further build his skill set.

However, his rising income still wasn't bringing him the happiness he wanted.

Long says that he is the kind of person who appears sunny and outgoing on the outside, but is sensitive and anxious on the inside. His smooth career development failed to make him feel settled in the city, especially as he was living away from his family and friends in Guizhou.