What did people do in the past historically to survive times like these?

I think what younger Chinese people are doing by exiting Cities that are too expensive with Air bad for their health and moving back to villages and farms out in the country is what people did in the past. Why?

Because you are more likely to survive both plagues and war if you remove yourself from Cities wherever they are because cities are too expensive and when things get bad you cannot grow your own food to live if you live in cities to stay alive either.

So, retreating to the country where you are less likely to be nuked or droned to death might be a good idea about now where rents are much cheaper and you can grow your own food to survive whatever comes.

Going Back to the land is one survival strategy that also worked for me and my parents when they bought land and built a retirement home starting in 1968 and I helped them off and on until it was ready to move into full time in 1980 when my father retired out in the HIgh Deserts of Southern California.

Then in 1980 I also bought land and built my own house on 2 1/2 acres of land in the Mt. Shasta area which I owned from 1980 until 1989. And while I lived there all I paid was land taxes and whenever I was living there between 1980 and 1985 I paid no rent and home schooled my older children there who are now 52 to 55 years old at this point and have all grown up and gone to college and made something with their lives and one is even retired already.

So, going back to the land worldwide is a way to survive both plagues and wars better because even in China this is what young people are doing to survive now without good jobs in this job climate worldwide caused by AI.