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China’s GDP ‘paradox’: why young Chinese despair about future prospects despite rapid economic growth
- Young Chinese are using social media platforms like Bilibili to voice despair over rising house prices, widening inequality and the price of everyday goods
- The growing frustration about social mobility highlights a ‘serious divergence’ between China’s fast-growing economy and the life satisfaction of citizens
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As vlogger Ning Nanshan stares down the camera and launches into a lecture about China’s push for technological self-reliance, a flood of “bullet comments” begins floating across the screen.
“Go our own way and corner the rest of the world!” says one of the comments on Bilibili, a popular video-sharing site that allows viewers to post messages in real time.
“Our motherland’s five-year plan is so awesome!” says another as it flies across the monitor.
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While most of Ning’s videos trumpet China’s advancements in manufacturing, he occasionally touches on more middle class concerns, like runaway house prices. There too, the bullet comments come thick and fast – although with a very different tone.
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China now has nearly 1 billion internet users
China now has nearly 1 billion internet users
“It is impossible for house prices to fall, there is no solution to my despair,” says one user.
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“Working hard is not the answer, it will not work,” reads another comment.
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