We investigate to which extent increased export performance influences perceived well-being in China. We hence explore the reverse of the “China syndrome” identified by the set of studies initiated by the works of Autor et al. (2013). The analysis draws

on panel data covering around 20,000 adults across 122 cities in 2010, 2012 and 2014. We rely on a difference in difference setting which relates the 2-year change in life satisfaction declared by an individual and the corresponding 2-year change in the access to foreign markets of the city where she resides. We find a consistent positive link between the evolution of subjective wellbeing and the change of Foreign Market Access over the period.