Woman quits 20 years of medical career due to mental stress and opens bread shop

After spending more than two decades of her life in medical care, a Chinese woman made a unique decision three years ago. Unable to cope with the stress, she finally left the medical profession and opened a shop selling steamed buns. 

Although many were initially skeptical about his decision, his shop has not only survived in a competitive market, but has also achieved great business success. As a result, he opened a second branch of his shop last July.

In an interview with Changjiang Daily, 48-year-old Dong Min said, "When I was a doctor, I often thought about quitting my job. Now, even though I'm tired from running this bread shop, I'm so happy that I don't want to stop." 

Why did you leave medicine?

Dong Min graduated from Wuhan University School of Medicine in 1999 and began working as a gynecologist in Shenzhen. He later returned to his hometown of Tianmen, Hubei Province, and became a physician and head of a local hospital.

Dong Min said that as a doctor, he had to deal with a lot of stress. In addition to seeing patients, he also had to deal with administrative hassles and visits to various government offices, which consumed a lot of his energy. 

In addition, in China, the doctor-patient relationship is always quite tense, and if there is a problem, he, as the head of the hospital, has to take full responsibility. In contrast, now, even though he works more than 10 hours a day, he does not feel any mental stress.

How the bread shop started

He became interested in the business in 2023 after seeing a friend's similar shop. At first, he only invested money, but when the shop's head cook suddenly quit his job, he decided to learn how to make Purabhara roti himself. He quickly became proficient at the job and found joy in it. 

Although the medical profession is considered highly respected in China, he made this decision despite family opposition. 

Dong Min said, "I'm almost 50 years old now. I don't care what others think. I want to live my life my way." Later, his family also fully supported his work. 

It should be noted that Dong Min is not alone, there are other cases of doctors leaving the medical profession to go into general practice in China. Many doctors with long experience are leaving hospital jobs to start their own small businesses or street food stalls due to the additional mental stress, administrative work, and relatively low income.

According to Dong Min, there is no specific age or time to make changes in life. He said he wants to continue running his bread shop happily as long as he is able.

Source: South China Morning Post