A Canadian Chinese who recently returned to China witnessed the country’s economic downturn, a sluggish real estate market, and a sense of hopelessness among the young people on the streets, with reports of individuals jumping off bridges or into rivers daily, which made him lament the heavy negativity prevailing in the country.
Kavin, a Chinese Canadian, told Epoch Times that this was his second visit to China post-pandemic and he felt that people in the country now carried a heavy negative aura. Walking on the streets, he noticed the lack of liveliness on the faces of the young people, with many appearing despondent. On the contrary, he saw elderly people dancing joyfully in the squares, full of vitality and happiness.
“Young people can’t find jobs or feel dissatisfied with their lives, which leads them to believe that life is hopeless. So, recently in Taiyuan, Shanxi, there have been many cases of people attempting suicide by jumping into the river almost every day. The negativity in the country is too strong,” he said.
Recently, a series of bridge-jumping incidents in Taiyuan, Shanxi, shocked the entire society. Multiple sources indicate that since May, there have been over ten tragic incidents of people jumping off bridges in the capital city of Shanxi province. Locals say, “People jumping into the river every day, it’s almost becoming the norm.” The local government urgently raised the height of the railing on both sides of the bridge and dispatched a large number of guards, but it was deemed as a mere temporary fix.
Coincidentally, the shape of Shanxi Province on the map is similar to that of Taiwan. A netizen commented, “Are people jumping into rivers in Taiwan?” Kavin believes that China lacks a society that cares, with no nonprofit organizations to help or support individuals.
“Taiwan doesn’t have many cases of people jumping into rivers, seas, or buildings. Yet the Chinese Communist Party keeps clamoring for the unification of Taiwan, which might lead to being isolated and sanctioned by the world, resulting in more unemployment,” he added.
“On the 27th at noon, another girl jumped into the river to commit suicide at the West Central Bridge. Why are there so many suicidal thoughts every day? I think it’s because China’s economy is in decline, people can’t find jobs, and many university graduates end up delivering food or driving rideshare cars,” Kavin said, pointing out the high unemployment rate that contradicts official statistics.
In 2023, China saw a sharp increase in youth unemployment. In June last year, the Chinese Communist Party officially released a shocking statistic: the urban unemployment rate among citizens aged 16 to 24 reached a record 21.3%. Subsequently, the statistics bureau suspended the publication of youth unemployment rates for over four months. Official data is considered severely underestimated, with Peking University scholars estimating the peak youth unemployment rate in China to have reached 46.5% in March the previous year.
Kavin believes that the reason young people can’t find jobs is because China’s society is too closed-off. With so few job positions and a large population vying for those limited resources, many individuals end up pursuing further studies or preparing for civil service exams.
Kavin learned that many people earn around three to four thousand yuan per month, while some technical positions pay slightly more at around five thousand yuan. However, wages have remained stagnant for years, such as bus drivers earning a mere three thousand yuan a month. Meanwhile, living expenses, including food and ice cream, continue to rise.
He shared, “I have a relative who earns three thousand yuan a month but can’t even afford to take the subway, so they rely on buses. I think the subway fares are quite cheap. It just shows how tight people’s lives are in China.”
“Now, the shopping malls here are empty. Apart from the food courts where people go to eat, other areas are deserted. There are hardly any people buying clothes in high-end malls,” Kavin noted.
“The housing prices have dropped by thirty to forty percent. I remember before the epidemic, there used to be advertisements for selling houses on the radio, but now there are none, the real estate market is in decline.”
“It’s probably tough to do foreign trade now. I know a friend who sells imported food products and is losing money, with debts amounting to tens of thousands,” he added.
Kavin expressed that during this visit, he felt that China was not as “open” as before, noticing a decreasing number of foreigners visiting the country. In Beijing and Shanghai, he observed very few foreigners walking the streets.
“The presence of foreign tourists was visible in the past, there were so many of them. Whether on Nanjing Road, Tiananmen Square, or Sanlitun in Beijing, now the foreigners have disappeared, they’ve all gone, and they’re no longer coming to China. Of course, some do come for business or as students, but they are a small minority,” he said.
Kavin mentioned that his friends prefer traveling to Japan, Taiwan, or Europe rather than visiting China, as they find traveling in China to be inconvenient. He personally doesn’t want to return.
“You can’t use international credit cards here in China, and even if you have cash, it’s hard to manage it. Although WeChat and Alipay can be linked to credit cards, the process is cumbersome, and many foreigners don’t know how to operate it. Also, you need to bypass the Great Firewall to access foreign websites, and it can be troublesome since VPNs don’t always work. Even if you manage to bypass the restrictions once, it might not work the next time, requiring you to switch to different VPNs and IP addresses of different countries. Hence, foreigners avoid traveling to China,” he explained.
Kavin recounted an incident involving a friend who is also a Canadian-born Chinese with roots in Guangzhou. He had considered applying for a Chinese visa but backed out, citing fear of the Anti-Spy Law in China.
“His parents are from Guangzhou, and he’s also wary of the National Security Law in Hong Kong, so every time he returns to China, he transfers through Hong Kong. Hong Kong has become a cesspool, with capable people fleeing. Many young Hong Kongers have moved to Canada due to its lifeline program for Hong Kongers,” Kavin added.
Kavin mentioned that his friends in China are preparing to immigrate as well. He recounted the story of an elder brother in Taiyuan, who has been browsing the internet through a VPN since 2021 and has become more aware. Initially planning to migrate to Canada, his visa was rejected, prompting him to apply for a European visa to seek job opportunities there and support his family.
Kavin pointed out that freedom of speech in China is gradually tightening, making censorship more stringent compared to over a decade ago. Any hint of forbidden words gets censored, with posts related to suicide incidents in Taiyuan being quickly removed from platforms like Douyin. Even if not questioning or criticizing the Communist Party, content on issues like unfinished buildings, workers’ wage arrears, or suicides is also censored or restricted.
“Because the Communist Party deems such protests as ‘provocation and troublemaking.’ The reason behind this is that the party is increasingly conscious of its inability to govern efficiently and the deteriorating economy. To compensate, they tighten the freedom of speech and expression, instilling fear, pressure, and suffocation in people, ultimately leading to an increasingly negative atmosphere in society,” Kavin elaborated.
Kavin also investigated the current education system in mainland China and found that elementary schools are now more heavily focused on indoctrination and nationalism than before, with schools promoting “loving the country and the party” more fervently. Young students often dislike wearing red scarves and raising the national flag every Monday, finding the bright sun glaring, making it more of a formality than genuine patriotism.
“When elementary students go on spring outings to places like the Heroes Memorial and parks, the children don’t find it enjoyable. On the contrary, outdoor educational trips in the US and Canada are exciting, involving visits to water theme parks, farms, science museums, lakefronts, beaches, and museums. They envy the education system in foreign countries,” Kavin said. “Chinese elementary students often have excessive homework, working until eleven or even twelve at night. It’s quite unimaginable, and I feel sorry for these children in China.”
Kavin also shared an anecdote where he was reading a copy of Epoch Times on a high-speed train after picking it up in Seattle and was approached by two passengers boarding from Zhengzhou. They inquired about the newspaper, showing interest in the news not available within China.
Kavin stated, “I agree with a comment I read on the Epoch Times website, that the day when New Tang Dynasty TV broadcasts in China and Epoch Times newspapers are sold in various cities and rural areas will be the true day of the great revival of the Chinese people!”