China's Youth Check Out of City Life Into 'Retirement Homes'

TaiwanPlus News

Young people in China are escaping the pressures of urban working life to reconnect with themselves at so-called retirement homes in the countryside. It’s a phenomenon that’s gone viral in the country.

Transcript

00:00In the lakeside town of China's Dali, these young people are taking it slow,

00:08enjoying the pace of life at their current residence, a self-styled youth retirement home.

00:14It's just one of the many that have popped up in rural China. Their founders cater to a growing

00:20niche, the increasing number of young people struggling from burnout and the pressure of

00:25busy jobs in the city. In a similar hostel elsewhere in Dali, 29-year-old Wang Dong's enjoying

00:55his youth retirement. He checked in months ago, trading in his hospitality job for brewing

01:02tea and going on outings with friends.

01:17But it's not just about escaping long work hours and the city grind.

01:21China's urban youth unemployment post-pandemic is at its highest in years, and that's also

01:28playing a role in this viral trend.

01:30It's not so good to work. It's just like living here and living here and living here.

01:40It's just like living in a single day and living in a single day and living in a single day.

01:46While many are applauding this phenomenon as a symbol of youth resistance against unrealistic

01:52expectations and societal pressures, others are unhappy with younger generations choosing

01:58to lie flat, a viral Chinese term that describes a trend among young workers dropping out of

02:05what they see as an unrewarding rat race. But the owners of these so-called retirement homes

02:11say critics misunderstand the purpose of these spaces.

02:15It's a sentiment. Owners of these youth retirement homes are keen to stop the

02:45stress. They're a temporary respite from a busy world, but not a permanent arrangement.

02:56These young retirees will be returning to the hustle and bustle of the city one day.

03:02But for now, they're relishing the rhythms of a quieter life.

03:05Scott Huang and Izzy Wells for Taiwan Plus.

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