[Beijing Diary] Reflections on Valentine's Day

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] After Valentine's Day (February 14), called Qingrenjie (情人節) in China, a phenomenon known as the 'Valentine's Day garbage collectors' became a hot topic across Beijing and other regions. Unlike Korea, where women give chocolates to the men they love, in China this day is when men confess their feelings by giving roses and gifts to women. Garbage collection on a day of confession? Curious about this odd combination, the story is as follows.

Many men who took Valentine's Day as an opportunity to confess but failed, or women who rejected their feelings, threw bouquets and gifts into trash bins. A kind of know-how began to spread that if you carefully guard the good parts(?), you can find valuable items.

A photo of an abandoned bouquet circulating on Chinese social networking services (SNS). (Source=Weibo)

A photo of an abandoned bouquet circulating on Chinese social networking services (SNS). (Source=Weibo)

Although the authenticity cannot be confirmed, photos of bouquets discarded in trash bins or on the side of the road were simultaneously posted on social networking services (SNS). There were also stories of people finding gifts hidden among flowers, such as iPhones, cash in red envelopes, and gold bracelets. Detailed guides on how to become a collector were also shared. According to posts on online communities, the best time for collection is around 8 p.m., and hotspots include upscale restaurant and shopping districts such as Sanlitun in Beijing, IFS in Chengdu, and IFS in Shanghai. According to reports, the Hebei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued advisory messages warning not to rummage through trash because bacteria and viruses may be present. A reporter from the local media Yangtze Evening News even conducted an investigation by searching through trash bins and found a pair of rings and a necklace, which was reported in an article.

The younger generation increasingly exaggerated the 'garbage collector' phenomenon humorously, turning it into a game on SNS. Comments included, "Romance that didn’t reach someone came to me as a gift," and "If you just put down your shame, you too can find treasure." Some wrote, "Valentine's Day is not only a happy time for wealthy couples but also a happy time for everyone who participated in the collection." Behind this lighthearted attitude, there was also a sense of self-mockery and pessimism reflecting the direct impact of economic slowdown and youth unemployment. Around the same time, news from Korea reported that graduation celebration bouquets flooded secondhand trading apps. As flower prices rose and Valentine's Day overlapped, demand increased, pushing the price of a bouquet close to 50,000 to 70,000 won, leading many to just take photos and resell them.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the economic analysis branch of the British current affairs weekly The Economist, the city with the highest Valentine's Day dating cost is Shanghai, China ($655, approximately 840,000 won). New York, USA, ranked second with costs in the $600 range, followed by Saint Petersburg, Russia; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Manama, Bahrain; Moscow, Russia; Paris, France; and Los Angeles (LA), USA, all recording costs in the high $500s.

Valentine's Day, named after a priest who was martyred for marrying young lovers without the emperor’s permission, now seems to have become a day not only for love between couples but also for revealing someone’s circumstances, which is somewhat bittersweet.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.