China is taking young talent from America’s tech giants.

Why one Ivy League grad turned down Amazon for a job in China

Fresh out of business school in the U.S., Belinda Chen had her pick of jobs — including a plum offer from Amazon. But she headed east instead to join online retailer JD.com in China, drawn by the country’s huge e-commerce boom.

“The online retail sector in China has been growing at a tremendous speed,” Chen said. “It’s a great opportunity to be working in this kind of high-growth environment.”

Headhunters say Chen, 29, is a part of a growing pool of ambitious young professionals attracted to China’s thriving tech sector. Homegrown darlings such as Alibaba, Tencent, JD.com and Huawei are starting to steal some of the limelight from the likes of Apple and Microsoft. The e-commerce market, in particular, is roaring — both Alibaba and JD.com had their market debuts in New York last year.

Many young Chinese educated abroad want to get in on the ground floor at these companies, said Erika Shen, who specializes in tech recruiting at Ambition, a firm in Hong Kong. And finding jobs back home means they can tap into their existing networks and be closer to family.

Chinese tech firms are taking cues from their hip Silicon Valley counterparts in an effort to turn the office into a fun and engaging environment for young professionals. Alibaba, for example, boasts cafeterias much like Google’s, and even throws a massive annual party for employees.