Millennial Flees Predictable Corporate Life, Returns to Parent Trap in China
KEY POINTS
- â˘Sally Tian was born in Guangzhou, moved to Vancouver at age 10, then attended international school in China before studying in Toronto.
- â˘After three years in Canadian management consulting and a tech stint in Beijing and Shanghai, she pursued an MBA at Harvard, finishing in 2025.
- â˘Now back in Shanghai with her boyfriend, sheâs renting a 3-bedroom apartment and launching a search fund targeting aging family businesses.
Meet Sally Tian: born in Guangzhou, moved at 10 to Vancouver, bounced back to China at 15 for international school, then Toronto for college and a consulting snoozefest. By 2020, she escaped California-style corporate Groundhog Day for Beijing tech life, a 'one-year' detour that tripled thanks to Shanghai lockdown fun. Graduating Harvardâs MBA in 2025, she declared 'no more boss' and launched a search fund adventure targeting aging Chinese family biz owners too disinterested in their kidsâ drama. Renting a 3-bed Shanghai pad 40 minutes from downtown at the bargain of 8,900 yuan ($1,270) monthly, she navigates Sam's Club sprees and Costco runs while juggling newfound empathy for immigrant parent struggles and deftly avoiding Midwest sports chit-chat at all costs.
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Turns out fleeing the predictable corporate hamster wheel just leads you back to 3-bedroom Shanghai apartments, Chinese family businesses, and the eternal immigrant identity crisis sampler platter.
Who knew that the Millennial American dream was actually a round-trip ticket between Costco aisles and awkward parent reunions in Shanghai?
Her corporate job was a cage. Her Chinese search fund? More like a cultural Rubik's cube that glitches if you like midwestern football.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 1/20/2026 | Author: Amanda Goh
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