The Guardian World· World
‘Zero-energy companionship’: bizarre hobby takes seed among China’s stressed young adults
Faced with a stagnant jobs market, many are spurning children or pets in favour of ‘raising bricks’Young adults in China looking for a cheaper, low-maintenance alternative to having children or pets 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,” wr
Published Monday, 26 October 2026 at 09:47
Faced with a stagnant jobs market, many are spurning children or pets in favour of ‘raising bricks’Young adults in China looking for a cheaper, low-maintenance alternative to having children or pets 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...
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