China's Jobless Youth: Hostel Refuges in Major Cities

Hostels were once for backpackers—now they’re lifelines for China’s jobless youth. In this episode, we follow young graduates pouring into megacities like Shanghai, sleeping in cheap bunks while hunting for work that often pays far less than their degrees promised. As China’s economy slows and competition intensifies, youth unemployment has turned these hostels into waiting rooms for delayed adulthood, filled with anxiety, uncertainty, and stalled ambition. Through personal stories, we ask what happens when a generation does everything right—studies hard, moves to the big city—and still can’t find a foothold. What does prolonged joblessness do to hopes, identities, and China’s future?https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/01/world/asia/china-unemployment-youth-hostels.html