Strange Phenomena Abound in China: Downturn in All Sectors Puts People in Hard Times.

Amidst the economic downturn and skyrocketing unemployment rates, China is experiencing a series of peculiar phenomena. Young people have more leisure time, while the elderly are becoming busier. The number of marriages is decreasing, and various industries are facing increasing challenges, forcing many to desperation. People are struggling to find work, facing the prospect of not being able to put food on the table.

Recently, a joke has gone viral on the internet: in various industries across China, everyone is acting as “movie stars” portraying “madmen”. Mechanics are going crazy, shouting, “Come get your car fixed, I need to make money”; restaurant workers are struggling without business; clothing store owners are dreaming of overflowing cash in the room; ride-sharing drivers are poking fun at themselves, saying “Hey sis, why did you become a ride-sharing driver?”; e-commerce sellers are puzzled why they buy products at 100 yuan but the neighbor sells them for 9.9 yuan? Even food delivery drivers are going crazy, dreaming of snowy days when delivery fees are tens to hundreds of yuan…

Netizens commented that these performances stem from real life. “These real-life ‘movie stars’ can be seen everywhere. The streets are filled with ‘store for rent’ signs, and even being a delivery driver requires waiting in long queues; those with jobs are working excessively, rolling into endless cycles of work performance and overtime, ultimately leading to burnout. This is not just acting, these are people’s heartbreaking realities.”

For those without the madness, they are still struggling to survive on the brink.

On Longyang Avenue in Wuhan, every day at 3 am, the street is filled with migrant workers looking for jobs. This place serves as a hub for job seekers, offering accommodation for 20 yuan a day and breakfast for 2 yuan. Most of the workers who come here are around 50 years old.

A video commentary explains that these individuals are older now, unable to find suitable jobs in the city and cannot return to the countryside. Some work to provide for their families, some for their children’s education, and others to pay off mortgages…

In Beijing, a bed for migrant workers includes meals and accommodations for 20 yuan a day, with 8 people squeezing into a 13 square meter room, emitting all sorts of odors. Lao Zhang (pseudonym) ventured into Beijing with only 100 yuan, having three buns for dinner, and some just stay in bed to skip meals. He found casual work, dreaming of starting from scratch, working for 13 days, earning three thousand yuan, and solving all his problems.

Lao Zhang told journalists that he was once in the military and things were smooth in his youth, but later, he got caught up in stock trading, lost his job, his house, and accumulated debts. Since completing the 13-day job, he has been unable to find a suitable job. Many feel that it’s difficult to find work this year. Working as a security guard earns only 4,000 yuan a month, but with his age, he can’t get a higher salary.

Being a food delivery driver is also intense, with rates being too low now, around 2 yuan per kilometer. “Food delivery is a total mess,” he said. Only in snowy weather or adverse conditions can the rate double, but no one dares to run errands. For example, no one runs for 50 yuan for a 15-kilometer delivery, or adds 80 yuan for a 10-kilometer delivery, because it’s impossible to complete the delivery; the cycle is unbearable.

“If finding a job is hard in Beijing, it’s even harder elsewhere,” Lao Zhang recently saw a job ad for a cemetery guide, paying 160 yuan per day on a weekly basis. The job requires diligence, hard work, outdoor activities, guiding family members, distributing flowers, moving podiums, and promoting boards… from 7 am to around 4:30 pm, lasting about 20 days.

Lao Zhang turned down the offer mainly because of the weekly pay. “Weekly pay won’t cover meals and housing. You have to live day by day!” Previously, he used some of the three thousand yuan to solve his errands, but after two weeks, he ran out of money. If things get tough, he would resort to delivering food. According to him, “Beijing is a place where if you don’t work hard, you won’t eat.”

A lifestyle blogger frankly expressed that in the next three years, all efforts might be concentrated on eliminating “prosperity,” reducing the population, as the collapse of everything seems inevitable. It’s time to prepare early for 2025, to raise our heads and look at the sky. The necessity of being prepared, distancing oneself from the noise of the city, and finding solace in a rural courtyard that provides shelter in times of turmoil.

He stated, “Have you noticed? There are more women than men, the elderly are busier, the youth are more idle, marriage is decreasing, and divorce is increasing in this era… When the energies of the cosmos converge, internal human conflicts, external pressures, and conflicts reach a certain extent, what will happen? It’s highly likely to erupt holistically, eliminating what needs to be eliminated. Nothing is eternal and unchangeable in this era, mountains will move, water will flow, people will move. It seems quiet, but it holds hidden mysteries, collapse happens in an instant.”

The blogger believes that bizarre occurrences are on the rise. Modern individuals are straying farther on an irretrievable path, with understandings of life diverting to the extreme, where cutting off family lines is deemed a high-quality life standard. Those who do not actively immerse themselves in real society struggle to comprehend its operational rules and easily fall into states of fear, blind conformity, and chaos.

Journalists recount the bizarre occurrences noted by this lifestyle blogger. In recent years, youth unemployment rates have remained high, leading to a lifestyle of dependence and passivity, even forgoing marriage and children. Although official figures suggest China’s youth unemployment rate is close to 20%, Beijing University scholar Zhang Dandan estimated that in March 2023, the youth unemployment rate peaked at 46.5%. Moreover, university employment data are severely falsified, with many individuals simply getting internships and stamps at factories to graduate but remaining jobless in reality.

Epoch Times previously reported that Chinese university student employment information is severely falsified, with schools pressuring students into employment. Failure to secure an employment agreement results in withholding graduation certificates, requiring a 98% employment rate, leading to graduates listing a slew of flexible job positions such as “barbecue stall owner, TikTok content creator,” etc. Flexible employment, freelancing, and entrepreneurship have become primary focus areas.

Lekai’an, a dissident from Jiangsu, told Epoch Times that job placement figures are significantly falsified. For instance, fresh university graduates selling fried rice on the street are counted as employed, thus distorting employment statistics.

“At the beginning of this year, a local construction bank recruited 30 people, but 10,000 people applied. One of my classmates has been unemployed for eight months after being laid off. This occurred in an economically developed region. Therefore, the employment rate is not as good as the CCP portrays it; it is certainly very serious,” he stated.

On one hand, young people find it challenging to secure jobs, while on the other, elderly individuals are facing delayed retirements. Starting in 2025, the CCP gradually extended the statutory retirement age for male workers to 63, and for female workers and female cadres to 55 and 58, respectively. Cities like Hangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Qingdao, and Kunming increased the age limit for taxi drivers from 60 to 65.

Recently, a video featuring a “66-year-old grandmother working to repay her son’s debts” has been circulating online. The old lady wakes up early to collect bottles, explaining that every bit she earns helps her son pay off his debts. She wakes up at 4:30 am, starts work at 5:30 am, sorts trash from across the street, saying, “Every extra dime we earn can help my son pay off debt.” She starts cleaning at 7 am, continuing with two more jobs after that, and prepares dinner upon returning home at 5 pm.

“People used to say parents should pay off their children’s debts, why is it the opposite now?” “There is an 80-year-old traditional Chinese medicine doctor who continues to treat patients. His son lost all money due to gambling, sold their hospital and property, and his daughter-in-law has been upset, so he helps by earning from medical treatments.” “Taxi drivers over 70 are quite common.” “This is an age of low material desires.”

Of course, among those busy repaying debts for their children, there are retirees within the system who spend their time traveling and investing in stocks.

Mr. Pan from Inner Mongolia told Epoch Times that the increasing busyness among the elderly results from the “tremendous pressure of life.” The basic cost of living in China is too high compared to income levels, leaving most young people struggling to meet their basic needs without their parents’ help, let alone getting married and having children.

“Chinese people are living too arduously! Living in a country with no welfare whatsoever, it’s not surprising for any problems to arise. Ultimately, it’s a systemic issue! What’s even more terrifying, or perhaps more tragic, is that many people don’t even know the root cause!” he remarked.

China has long been stuck in a state of marital decline. According to the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs’ data released in February, there were 6.1 million registered marriages nationwide in 2024, marking a 20.5% decrease from 2023. Compared to the peak of 13 million marriages in 2013, the total number of marriages in 2024 plummeted to a new low in 45 years.

The imbalanced gender structure is considered a primary factor. Official statistics suggest that there are over 30 million more men than women in the Chinese population, with 17.52 million more men than women in the marriageable age group of 20 to 40. This gender imbalance has left many eligible men unable to find suitable partners.

However, once people do manage to settle down, divorce rates start to rise. Netizens observe that in rural areas, there are more men than women, while cities have a higher number of divorced women.

In recent years, divorce rates have been on the rise, resulting in the emergence of a unique industry — the destruction of wedding photos, with about 80% of clients being women. According to statistics from China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, the divorce rate has steadily increased from 0.9 per thousand in 2000 to 3.4 in 2019, with 4.7 million divorces in total. Although the number of divorces saw a slight decrease during the pandemic, it spiked again in 2024, reaching 2.621 million couples, showing a 1.08% increase compared to the previous year.

A recent analysis by “Insight into China” discovered that unemployment has led to a surge in divorce rates, with 90% of middle-aged laborers being divorced after being unemployed for over a year.

Chinese men can no longer financially support their families, where the pressure is greatest for those with families, leading to the entire family unit experiencing unemployment together.

One netizen shared, “Among my friends, last year, five male friends were divorced because of unemployment, and enduring for over a year is considered long.” “Life is hard, and yet they still want to marry and have children, what a joke!”