Recently, entrepreneur Jiang Pinchao expressed his heartache upon seeing videos of many young Chinese people scavenging for leftovers to survive, stating that the “right to live” of the Chinese people has become a major concern. He lamented that Chinese society may be edging closer to the tipping point of an uprising akin to that of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.
On social media platforms in mainland China, there has been a proliferation of videos showing young people picking up leftover vegetables from markets to cook and eat at home. The prevalence of “zero-cost survival” among the youth highlights the plight of young individuals struggling to make ends meet due to the economic downturn in China.
From the recent influx of “picking vegetables” videos, it is evident that many content creators are post-2000s generation, including recent university graduates or young individuals with meager income or facing unemployment.
Some appear to be experienced in scavenging leftovers, while others are still learning the ropes, but everyone treats finding leftovers they desire to eat as if they’ve stumbled upon treasures.
Former mainland media worker Ai Shicheng told Epoch Times that this situation signifies that “there are definitely a large number of young people currently unemployed,” most of whom are from ordinary families and are part of the group known as “graduates becoming unemployed,” indicating their dire economic circumstances.
Reports also indicate that Chinese university students are facing the “most tragic” fate of “graduating into unemployment.” It is reported that 80% of postgraduates from China’s “Double First Class” universities are unable to find jobs, let alone undergraduates, junior college graduates, and graduates from ordinary institutions.
In 2025, the number of Chinese university graduates reached 12.22 million, setting a new historical high and adding more young people to the ranks of the unemployed.
The latest official data shows that the youth unemployment rate in China has hit a new high in 20 months. In August of this year, the youth unemployment rate for individuals aged 16 to 24 was 18.9%, increasing by 1.1 percentage points from July, marking the highest since the change in statistical methodology in December 2023, excluding students from the unemployment rate calculation. The unemployment rate for individuals aged 25 to 29 in August was 7.2%, up by 0.3 percentage points from July.
The youth unemployment rate in China exceeded 20% for three consecutive months from April to June 2023, hitting a record high of 21.3% in June, leading the Chinese Communist Party to stop publishing the youth unemployment rate for nearly six months.
Ai Shicheng expressed that while some young people appearing on camera scavenging for leftovers may be portraying it as a form of “performance art” and a satirical reflection of reality, it underscores the harsh reality that “there are indeed a large number of young people facing dire economic circumstances and struggling for survival.”
President Jiang Pinchao of the American financial and real estate investment company remarked to Epoch Times, stating, “These are young students, the most energetic and productive group of people. Now their productivity is reduced to scavenging vegetables, which is terrifying!”
He believes that Chinese people, on one hand, are “too kind,” and on the other hand, “do not even know what their own rights are,” with even the advocated “right to survive” becoming a major issue.
According to the universal definition in the West, “human rights” are inherent and inalienable fundamental rights and freedoms of humans, including the right to life and liberty. “Human rights” possess the characteristics of “inalienability” and “indivisibility.”
To combat criticism from the Western world regarding its disregard for human rights, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been propagating that it prioritizes the “right to survival” of Chinese people for decades, arguing that the “right to survive” and the “right to development” are the primary human rights, preceding other rights.
“The CCP used to say that the most crucial thing for the Chinese people is the ‘right to survive.’ But now, what about the ‘right to survive’? Those young people, the students, are picking up leftover vegetables,” Jiang Pinchao angrily exclaimed. “If those young people could find jobs and earn money, would they be picking up vegetables? A normal person wouldn’t do this!”
Jiang Pinchao also recalled his time studying in China, where CCP textbooks criticized capitalism, portraying how the United States and Western countries have “an oversupply of goods that cannot be sold and a lack of purchasing power among laboring people to buy necessary essentials.” He questioned, “Isn’t what is happening in China now exactly what the CCP used textbooks to attack Western societies for?”
He believes that China’s economy is currently experiencing a severe crisis and downturn, with young people scavenging for vegetables being just a small glimpse of the larger economic distress.
Ai Shicheng stated that it is evident to everyone that the real economic situation in China now is that “at least 80% to 90% of people in China are in an unfavorable living condition, with a large portion facing economic distress and harsh survival conditions.”
In response to the behavior of numerous young people scavenging for leftovers at the market, many mainland media outlets have recently released reports with a “praising” tone, but these reports have garnered widespread criticism.
It is reported that from September 9 to 11, China Business News reported, “This is not picking up vegetables, this is picking up freedom,” with a main theme of “whatever you need, you can find.” The Paper stated that the vegetable market has turned into an “inland rush theme park.” Jilin TV’s Aurora News reported that young people picking up vegetables after work is “simple happiness.” Dingdu News mentioned that scavenging for vegetables “has evolved into a practical and social lifestyle among young people.” Dahe News said that picking up vegetables is “both economically and environmentally friendly.”
Various other mainland media outlets, including major state-run media, also reposted these reports. However, the comments sections of these reports were filled with criticism from netizens.
Some commented, “The flowers of our country have become beggars.” Others said, “While others are hanging themselves, you say they are playing on a swing.” Some remarked, “If it brings so much joy, why don’t you try it?” And there were comments like, “Why not go beg for food, it saves energy and resources, more environmentally friendly.”
Ai Shicheng mentioned that the current generation of young people is not easily deceived. People can see that the narratives presented by official media are “disconnected” from the real-life situation in China. “Party and state media often distort reports, frequently celebrating funerals as if they are weddings,” he stated, emphasizing that the large number of netizens criticizing these reports indicates an awareness of the CCP’s methods.
Jiang Pinchao expressed that mainland media, in pursuit of the CCP’s “bright economic theory,” has lost all sense of morality and humanity.
He highlighted the stark contrast between the news of young people scavenging for vegetables and Xi Jinping’s September 3 grand military parade, where “the parade cost 35 billion yuan” all to inflate Xi Jinping’s ego and fulfill his “emperor dream,” while “the Chinese people are viewed as livestock for organ harvesting.”
“The situation in Chinese society is truly terrifying!” he exclaimed, “Chinese society has decayed to a point of no return, and we don’t know when it will reach a tipping point, where the people can rise up like Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.”