Young people in China are giving up high-paying jobs to become baristas and waiters, and they're talking about it online
O ver the past year, young people across China have been ditching white-collar jobs for blue-collar roles as baristas and cashiers. They've been sharing photos and videos of their new roles en masse on Xiaohongshu, China's answer to Instagram. The hashtag "my first physical-work experience" has more than 30 million views as of June 12. " From fast-food-restaurant owners, cleaners, waiters, to pet grooming , young people try to regain control of their lives and inner order through these 'mindless' manual tasks," a description of the hashtag read. Many of these people write in the captions about their decision to ditch white-collar jobs, and there's a clear thread between many of them: Despite having attained highly coveted office jobs, they are ditching them for "mindless" menial work and a better sense of fulfillment. "I can only say that I'm so happy after leaving the company," a woman whose profile said she lived in Gu...