Qi Huan has spent four years at a Shanghai tech company, commuting two hours to work every day. She is in seven work chat groups and her heart races every time her phone buzzes on weekends.

One morning at 2 am, after finishing yet another business proposal, she stared at her screen for 10 minutes and decided on the spot to have a weeklong holiday. She immediately booked a flight to Sanya in Hainan province and a short time later arrived in the coastal city of Wanning by train. She had no itinerary or plan — just the knowledge that there was a "sports school" located there where people were active and energetic.

In Wanning, she found what she was looking for. "Before, I worked like crazy so I could have a better life. Now I realize life shouldn't be about that," she said.