Young People Fear the Future, Pretend to Study Hard in Self-Study Rooms

Soaring unemployment rates have led to an increasing number of young people seeking refuge in "paid self-study rooms," pretending to study hard to alleviate their inner anxiety and fear. (Video screenshot)

[People News] With China's sluggish economy and skyrocketing youth unemployment rates, more young people are opting for "lying flat" (a passive resistance to societal pressures). In recent years, "paid self-study rooms" have become increasingly popular. These unemployed youths, seeking to escape the pressures of reality, hide in self-study rooms and pretend to be diligently studying as a way to ease their anxiety and fear.

According to a survey report, the number of paid self-study room users reached 7.55 million in 2022, with expectations to exceed 10 million by 2025.

According to a report by Banyue Tan, a recent investigation of nearly 20 paid self-study rooms in Shanxi Province’s Taiyuan, Datong, and Lüliang cities found that most users are young people preparing for exams like the civil service exam ("考公"), teacher certification ("考编"), or graduate school entrance exams ("考研"). These self-study rooms have become new refuges for escaping stress, with many young people engaging in "performative studying" (pretending to study).

These paid self-study rooms operate by "renting out seats," charging fees on an hourly, daily, monthly, or yearly basis. The monthly price for a seat is around 500 yuan, roughly half of the living expenses for many unemployed youths. Despite the high cost, many self-study rooms are still fully booked, and it can be hard to find an available seat.

The report noted that many people treat these rooms like internet cafes, using them to escape family supervision. For some, "performative studying" dominates their time there, leaving little time for genuine study.

Xiao Da, a 2022 college graduate from Datong, has been preparing for graduate school entrance exams in paid self-study rooms. "I’ve taken the exam three times. My life has become a monotonous routine, and I feel increasingly disconnected from society. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m living in the real world," Xiao Da said.

He admitted that the self-study room provides an environment where he can escape reality. "There are many people here just like me. When I see them playing on their phones, I feel at ease doing the same."

This phenomenon has drawn attention online: "You’re sitting in a self-study room playing on your phone, telling yourself it’s just for 10 minutes, but an hour passes, and the phone is still in your hand."

"This is so relatable. I’ve been there too—holding a book but not actually absorbing anything."

Currently, millions of college graduates are struggling to find jobs. Some are forced to accept low-paying positions, while others "lie flat" and rely on their parents’ pensions to survive. Following buzzwords like "lying flat" ("躺平") and "rotting away" ("摆烂"), a new term, "unfinished youth" ("烂尾娃"), has rapidly gained popularity on social media this year.