[Beijing Diary] Boom Amid Bitter Recession

In China, as the pace of economic recovery recently fell short of expectations, a vicious cycle of further contraction in consumption is emerging. Discount stores handling items nearing their expiration date or with large inventories attract a considerable number of people, but department stores selling high-end luxury goods and upscale shopping malls have a desolate atmosphere.

Despite this situation, there is a sector thriving within China. It is the "graduate school entrance exam dormitory academy," a concept hard to find in a similar form in Korea. Unlike dormitory academies for university entrance, this one involves living and studying while preparing for graduate school admission.

The National Library of China located in Beijing. (Photo by Kim Hyun-jung)

These dormitory academies operate by converting apartments or renting parts of dormitories or lecture buildings of specific universities. Costs vary widely depending on conditions, but based on the typical condition where up to eight people share a dormitory, the monthly fee is usually around 1000 to 1500 yuan (approximately 178,750 to 268,125 KRW). Including food and other expenses, the total monthly expenditure rises to about 3000 yuan. This is the off-season price, and during the peak season before June, room rates can double. Just like when purchasing a newly built apartment, students conduct preliminary inspections to find cost-effective places, check the internal environment, and consider the student occupancy rate before choosing.

Beijing Youth Daily previously published an article interviewing such dormitory academy students. They reported that these students delete all messenger programs and social networking services (SNS) from their phones, eat alone in the cafeteria, and follow an unspoken rule of quickly returning to the study room without talking to anyone after the short meal time ends.

These dormitory academies are mainly known to be located in quasi-tier 1 large cities such as Jinan, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Nanjing, and Wuhan. A characteristic is that they are situated in isolated and quiet places suitable for academic environments, such as near apartments or factory sites without entertainment facilities or those not yet sold.

According to local reports, those seeking dormitory academies include not only unemployed university graduates but also teachers, accountants, nurses, and others who have already graduated and returned after working in society. This group includes people who were laid off due to the post-COVID-19 recession or those who left their jobs voluntarily because the work was too demanding. According to data from the Chinese Ministry of Education, the number of graduate school applicants nationwide last year reached a record high of 4.57 million, a 21% increase from the previous year. This year, the number of applicants for the graduate school entrance exam is estimated to have further increased to 5.2 million. Some who drop out from this pool must compete for jobs with the 11.58 million expected university graduates this year.

The National Library, operated by the Chinese government, is famous for long lines at the entrance from early morning due to competition for seats. The popularity of dormitory academies appears to be an inevitable choice for young people who extend their student status while waiting for the economy to improve and jobs to appear, instead of struggling to study far from home or in places without proper rest areas. It is a bittersweet facet of a boom amid a recession.

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