Young Chinese are looking for alternative jobs in a changing economy

Discouraged by low wages in his hometown, Ouyang now works as a live streamer for an e-commerce company in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province – Copyright AFP HECTOR RETAMAL

Jing Xuan TENG

Braving loneliness, difficult auditions, and an unfamiliar, hot, humid climate, aspiring actor Guo Ting sets out to succeed in China’s answer to Hollywood.

The 27-year-old from northern China quit her office job in Beijing this year to move to subtropical Hengdian, home to major film studios and casting agencies.

Guo is part of a trend among young Chinese who are giving up traditional aspirations for a stable, average job in favor of alternative careers and the chance for self-fulfillment.

Since childhood, she dreamed of becoming an actress, but the pragmatic adults around her initially suppressed her dream.

However, after working in the office for several years, Guo believes that “the most important thing is happiness.”

In recent years, Chinese media and online posts have drawn public attention to young people giving up their careers in favor of other options, including nomadic “van life,” becoming influencers or pursuing art.

While they are still a small minority, the growing debate about their choices reflects broader changes in the world’s second-largest economy after decades of rapid growth.

Some people, especially those from wealthier backgrounds, are now “trying to redefine what success means,” said Miao Jia, a sociology expert at New York University in Shanghai.

“When they get a better education and benefit from rapid economic growth, (young people) start thinking about what can make them happy,” she told AFP.

– Changing Norms –

Guo’s decision to resume her career comes at a time of major changes in the way young Chinese view work.

In recent years, more defeatist notions such as “lay flat” and “let it rot” have gained popularity among those struggling in the fiercely competitive job market.

At the same time, other job seekers, concerned about the ongoing economic slowdown and private sector instability, have rushed to the “iron rice bowls” of the civil service and state-owned enterprises.

Many others are struggling to find work at all, with youth unemployment reaching 14.2 percent in May.

“The young generation in China is becoming more diverse than the previous one,” said Miao of NYU Shanghai.

While going to an office may be the norm for young, middle-class people living in cities, in many parts of the country office work is rare.

For Ouyang, a 20-year-old high school graduate living in the global trade hub of Yiwu, the small, fluorescent-lit office where he helps run an e-commerce company is a novelty.

In his hometown in central China’s Henan Province, Ouyang, who asked to use a pseudonym due to privacy concerns, “did everything.”

“I was working as a waiter in a restaurant. It was very chaotic and I felt like I was just killing time working,” he said.

Discouraged by low wages in his hometown, Ouyang recently seized the opportunity to become a live-stream vendor of cheap goods after meeting online friends in the industry.

– “The routine didn’t make sense” –

Back in Hengdian, Guo prepared for her audition with a meticulous, multi-step skincare routine in the apartment she shared with other film industry hopefuls.

In preparation for her role as a corporate character working at a fictional company, she searched her wardrobe for an outfit similar to the one she wore to work in the office.

The casting agent’s office was right next to a common room run by the actors’ union, where dozens of people sat waiting for auditions and interviews.

“I feel a bit of pressure because when you’re just starting out, you don’t decide when to act in a movie, the choice is in someone else’s hands,” Guo told AFP.

He now earns only about 2,000 yuan ($275) a month in the few jobs he can find.

“In the past, I had a fixed monthly salary and never had to worry about running out of money,” she said.

The change from the more social environment of her previous job to the solitary life of a freelancer was also initially difficult to adjust to.

However, Guo said she and her peers were motivated by more than just money.

Other Hengdia resettlers she knew who had left conventional jobs “felt there was no point in sticking to a set routine.”