China's Worst Youth Unemployment... 'Tree Hugging' SNS Trend Explodes

"Good for Mental Health Stabilization" Claim
Impact of Severe Academic and Job Stress

Among young people in their 20s in China, "tree hugging" has recently become a trend. On social networking services (SNS), tens of thousands of photos of people hugging trees have been uploaded. Those participating in tree hugging claim that this act provides "mental healing."

On the 3rd (local time), Hong Kong media outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the recent craze for tree hugging among Chinese youth. Tree hugging, or "tree therapy," has already gained popularity with over 330,000 related posts on Chinese SNS platforms such as Baidu and Douyin.

Tree hugging, as the name suggests, is the act of hugging a tree. Some netizens take photos of themselves hugging trees and share them on SNS. Numerous Chinese netizens create pages related to tree hugging and engage in passionate discussions about the mental healing effects provided by trees.

Chinese youth obsessed with 'tree hugging'. [Image source=Douyin and other Chinese SNS]

A young man obsessed with tree hugging reportedly spent several hours wandering around a park in Shanghai, China, searching for his favorite tree. Another tree hugging enthusiast told the media, "I was definitely hugging a tree, but I felt as if the tree was hugging me from behind."

Youths receiving tree therapy claim that this act helps relieve stress. One woman said, "Previously, I had to quit my job due to extreme work pressure," adding, "Hugging trees helped stabilize my psychological state."

In fact, stress among young people in China has emerged as a serious social issue. Stress mostly stems from intense pressure related to studies and work.

Especially, the youth unemployment rate, which surpassed 20% as of June, is worsening the stress experienced by people in their 20s. This is because they are exposed to harsh competition to secure limited jobs.

As a result, a so-called "Tangping (??平)" syndrome has appeared, where some give up on job hunting altogether or survive only on short-term part-time jobs. Tangping means "lying down comfortably," referring to maintaining only the minimum livelihood activities while avoiding active work and consumption.

Tangping followers are generally satisfied as long as they can earn a little living by hopping between part-time jobs. Even if they get a long-term job, they do not work for extended periods. They work just enough to receive unemployment benefits, get fired, and then enjoy a comfortable Tangping life for a while with the severance pay they receive afterward.

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