In recent years, China’s economy has been on a downward trend, with waves of layoffs and unemployment sweeping across various industries. The phenomenon of the “middle class” returning to poverty and downgrading consumption has become the norm for the Chinese people. The documentary “Us Not Young Enough”, which premiered at the end of last year, truthfully captured the real-life situations of two couples over the age of 35 facing career changes and life pressures. After losing their jobs, their lives quickly compressed into struggles with mortgage payments, anxiety, arguments, and helplessness…
One couple is Ms. Mo and Mr. Hu, who were former middle-level executives in the internet industry and former senior executives in education and training, respectively.
By the end of November 2023, Ms. Mo, 35 years old, and Mr. Hu, living in Hangzhou, had been unemployed for half a year. Grilled cold noodles and fried skewers became the main source of income for their family. Just over half a year ago, Ms. Mo and Mr. Hu were former middle-level executives in the internet industry and education and training sector, each earning over a million yuan annually.
Around the same time when Ms. Mo and Mr. Hu started their stall, in Beijing, 35-year-old Ms. Li and her husband Mr. Zhang, after more than ten years of working in a major internet company, also lost their jobs one after another.
These two couples, no longer young, stepped into their “midlife crisis” together. Besides struggling to find jobs, another major common point between the two couples is the decision to “sell their house”, seeing it as the best choice to ease their financial burden and improve their living conditions.
After selling their house in Beijing, Ms. Li and her family moved to Tianjin in 2025, considering their daughter’s future and weighing the pressures of life, it was a decision they had to make.
After moving to Tianjin, Ms. Li decided to work as a real estate agent. At the age of over 35, she was accompanied by a mentor who was a post-00s youngster.
Ms. Mo in Hangzhou graduated from the medical department of Tsinghua University with a postgraduate degree. She initially worked at a hospital and later joined an internet medical company as a mid-level manager for better career development. Ms. Mo’s husband was a senior executive in the education and training industry. At the peak of their careers, their combined annual income exceeded a million yuan.
The couple had been working hard in Hangzhou for many years and purchased a high-quality apartment near the city with renovation costs amounting to over a million yuan. At that time, with their combined annual income exceeding a million yuan, it was enough to afford such an expensive house.
However, life took a sharp turn downhill after turning 35. Mr. Hu said that since the dual reduction policy came into effect, their company’s operations were greatly affected. Mr. Hu lost his job in May 2023. During that period, Ms. Mo, who was working at an internet company, resigned voluntarily due to long hours of high-intensity work, considering her physical health.
After both being unemployed, their family income decreased sharply while their total expenses remained almost unchanged, requiring money everywhere. Rather than cutting back on expenses, increasing income was more important for the couple.
The couple continued to struggle to find jobs. In order to address the cash flow issues in their lives, both decided to set up a stall to sell snacks. They bought a tricycle, purchased equipment, prepared ingredients at home during the day, and set up the stall at the entrance of nearby residential complexes at night. Ms. Mo said that the income from the stall, on good days, could reach over a hundred yuan in one night, totaling over two thousand yuan a month, but sales were even lower when the weather was cold.
The challenges faced by running the stall were even greater than working a regular job. The most frustrating part for the couple was that they were frequently reported and then driven away by urban management and security guards.
Despite trying to sell their house for two years, Ms. Mo and Mr. Hu had not been successful in doing so. “It’s listed with a real estate agency, but it won’t sell. The housing prices have dropped by about thirty percent compared to two years ago, there’s not much we can do but keep it listed.”
In early December 2025, Ms. Mo and Mr. Hu announced that they would stop running the stall. The couple is now collaborating with others to start a business focusing on media work. Apart from this, Ms. Mo occasionally performs medical consultancy and student guidance work, keeping busy.
Even though they are busy, the couple’s downgraded consumption continues. Ms. Mo mentioned that she hasn’t bought a new handbag in almost two years, and their current household income is still insufficient to cover daily expenses, so selling the house remains their top choice.
In the documentary, Ms. Mo expressed her helplessness, saying, “We are like ants, how can we shake those things that are unshakable?”
Many viewers commented, “This is the first time I’ve seen middle-aged unemployment as a concrete reality, not just an abstract concept”, “I thought I was alone in this”, “It’s heart-wrenching to watch”.
For the age group of 35-45, where there are elderly parents and young children to take care of, mortgages, car loans, education loans, health issues appearing, being replaced by younger colleagues in the workplace, and the sense of drop from the previous “million-yuan annual income” weigh heavily on them.
Some people said they dare not watch it a second time because it’s too real, making them question their life choices and even instilling fear for the future.
Some also reflected that the support system for middle-aged unemployed individuals in society is almost non-existent. Unlike the lower class who have assistance networks or young people who have room for trial and error, once they fall, it’s very difficult for them to climb back up.