Priorities changed after I had my baby

ISun Jingqi,

a professor at North China Electric Power University

feel that Huilongguan is my home because I have lived here for 20 years (after moving from Heilongjiang province). Since I don’t work office hours, transportation is not a huge problem because I can avoid rush hours.

The first time I came here, most of the land was unoccupied, and dust flew everywhere. Within 10 years, I saw cramped buildings gradually take up space in the vast open tracts of land as more and more people came here to live.

I didn’t often spend my weekends in the community. I like shopping, so my husband and I used to drive to commercial downtown areas, including Sanlitun in Chaoyang district and Xidan in Xicheng, to relax and have fun.

I like spending time in my home at Huilongguan without needing to go out. Our apartment is relatively large compared with those of my friends who bought homes in the central business district.

My life in the community used to be quite leisurely and I often took walks with my husband after supper.

However, all that has changed since I had a baby.

My son was born in 2013, and my life has been very different since then. I discovered lots of inconveniences in the community, such as finding a doctor or a place for my son to play at weekends.

This year, a greater burden has fallen on me because I have to find a primary school for my son to attend.

By comparing different areas, I discovered that the best option is to send him to a school affiliated to his father’s company inside the north Fourth Ring Road in Chaoyang district.

To make it more convenient to pick him up from school, we have bought an apartment in Chaoyang and we will move there in June.

Sun Jingqi spoke with Xin Wen.