As China's economy struggles, young people are increasingly turning to social media to vent their frustration over having to work long hours for less pay amid a struggling economy. Some millennials and gen z are posting about their plans to quit the corporate culture and travel.
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00:00Chen Zijun is learning how to put up a fight.
00:07But not that long ago, she had no fight left.
00:12I felt drained. I kept on delivering.
00:16I didn't have time to rest or learn something new.
00:19This type of work and life is not what I want, so I chose to quit.
00:23Zijun is part of a group of young people choosing to opt out of China's relentless work culture.
00:29She decided to naked quit, meaning she left her job without a back-up plan in place.
00:34And she's been documenting that journey online.
00:38Still, there are lots of people who choose naked quitting.
00:42If the situation is not improved, naked quitting will only become more popular.
00:47Of course the young people will feel burnt out.
00:50Most of their awake hours are just work with limited material return.
00:58On the back of the pandemic, China's economic growth has slowed amid an ongoing real estate crisis and high youth unemployment.
01:06At the same time, a record number of young people are graduating from university into a competitive market.
01:13There's this new phenomenon they call work-life integration.
01:18And just in a way, forget about your personal life.
01:21Every aspect is permeated by workplace culture.
01:26It's hard to know exactly how many young people are opting out of the rat race.
01:31But a survey by a Chinese social media app found that around 70% of young respondents weren't afraid of quitting without another job lined up.
01:40However, this path is only really available to those who can afford it.
01:46If one is from a not-well-off family, then it's simply not possible to disengage.
01:51You have to take the best job. It might be below the job you want, but you take what job you can get.
01:58For now, Zijun is trying to figure out what matters to her most.
02:02Through Muay Thai, I'm exercising every day to keep myself in a good headspace, so I can make a better decision for my next step.
02:11A personal battle anyone can relate to.