[Beijing Diary] Youth Returning to the Steaming Heat

"Do you know the game 'Pac-Man'? That little monster who must keep moving forward by endlessly swallowing food to survive feels similar to myself living in this city."

Wang Manni, the protagonist of the 2020 hit Chinese drama Just Thirty, introduces herself this way through narration in the first episode. She worked at a luxurious brand store in Shanghai but, exhausted by the pressures of the big city and personal events, she returned to her hometown where her parents live after eight years. However, Manni ultimately chooses to return to Shanghai. The low wages barely enough to get by and the life in a small provincial city where marriage and starting a family are considered the only life goals made her even more tired.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Recently, it is said that more young people like Manni are increasing in China. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many left densely populated big cities due to harsh living conditions and lack of jobs, only to try to return to first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. This phenomenon is commonly called 'Huilongpiao (回籠漂)' locally, a newly coined term.

'Huilong' means reheating cold food by steaming it again, and 'piao' symbolizes the drifting state of outsiders who fail to put down roots in big cities. The term 'Beipiao (北漂)' refers to outsiders working in Beijing without local household registration, which is related to this context. Considering the circumstances, 'Huilongpiao' can be loosely translated as 'returning to the fierce life of drifting.'

Many Chinese media outlets have been eagerly reporting on this social phenomenon in detail. China Daily cited data released by Chang Meng, director of a recruitment web research institute, stating that over the past 15 months, 23% of job seekers who left Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen expressed a willingness to return to these first-tier cities. The report pointed out that while competition in big cities is fierce, they belong to a fair market that values ability, whereas in small cities where jobs are created strictly through connections and backgrounds, young people become frustrated. It also noted that wages in small cities are at most half of those in first-tier cities, and it is difficult to acquire promising new skills or add industry-recognized experience, which are additional reasons.

Last week, China’s youth (ages 16?24) unemployment rate as of the end of March was announced to have reached a record high of 19.6%. This figure came amid China’s economic growth rate reaching its highest level in a year (4.5%). Despite the relatively good economic trend, one in five Chinese youths is unemployed, which helps explain why job-seeking in big cities is likened to a steaming hot pot.

As China’s economy is confirmed to be recovering in earnest after the COVID-19 restrictions, the mood inside China is quite encouraging for the first time in a while. However, Chinese media must have continued reporting on 'Huilongpiao' knowing that timely solutions to youth unemployment are urgently needed. It should not be forgotten that one of the pillars supporting the vast country and socialist system of China has been the 'abundant jobs' fueled by stable high economic growth.

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