As the cost of living soars, many youngsters find it hard to support themselves and turn to their parents for financial help.
They are called the 'Neet' - Not in Education, Employment, or Training - generation; young people who live off their parents.
The 2010 Blue Book of Guangzhou Youth Development says about 35 per cent of youngsters in the city cannot make ends meet and are likely to become Neets.
Wen Jia, 24, who graduated from university last year, hoped to become a civil servant but turned into a Neet.
After failing the civil service entrance examination, she went to work for a private company but quit a few months later because of the low pay and lack of prospects.
'My salary was so low I could hardly afford my living expenses, let alone relieve my parents' financial burden. My average [monthly] pay was about 1,200 yuan (HK$1,423), not enough to pay my rent,' she says.