‘Cushy’ cemetery job gives Chinese university graduate work-life balance, no office politics — sparking careers debate
- Video of sleepy mountainside cemetery workplace goes viral, taps into growth of ‘slacking-off’ culture among China’s young workforce
- Fresh graduate, 22, says: ‘It’s a simple and cushy job. There are cats and dogs and the internet’
The decision of a Chinese university graduate to take a job in a cemetery to achieve a better work-life balance and avoid office politics has shocked many and triggered an online debate on the work preferences of Generation Z in China.
The woman, surnamed Tan, 22, became the talk of mainland social media after proudly sharing video images of her “peaceful” workplace - a mountainside cemetery in western China’s Chongqing municipality - on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, last week.
“Let me show you the working environment of a Gen Z grave keeper. It’s a simple and cushy job. There are cats and dogs and the internet,” said Tan, who lives in an onsite dormitory with her colleagues.
Describing the position as “a life of early retirement”, she said the job offers ample leisure time, a scenic view and an environment free from office politics — not to mention no long commute.
“Because I live here, I jokingly call myself a ‘grave keeper,’” she said.
Her duties include receiving guests, selling tombs and sweeping graves on behalf of relatives of the deceased.
Tan is paid a monthly salary of about 4,000 yuan (US$560). She works six days a week from 8.30am to 5pm daily with a two-hour break for lunch.
