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‘Zero-energy companionship’: bizarre hobby takes seed among China’s stressed young adults

Source: The Guardian World - Published: 26 Oct 2026 12:47

Faced with a stagnant jobs market, many are spurning children or pets in favour of ‘raising bricks’Chinese young adults looking for a cheaper, low-maintenance alternative to having pets or children have found an answer: raising bricks.Bricks may not be as cuddly as cats or as life-affirming as human offspring, but they also cost next to nothing. “No cats, no dating, I started raising a brick,” wrote one brick parent on social media. Continue reading...