Drum Tower | China

Why younger residents of China’s “median city” are so risk-averse

Our weekly podcast on China. In the second episode of a two-part series, we meet young inhabitants of Yichun, a Chinese everytown

Spare a thought for China’s youngsters. Unlike their parents, who came of age at a time when it wasn’t hard to catch a ride on China’s economic elevator, young Chinese have fewer opportunities. Despite hard work and university degrees, many are priced out of the property market. In a country where having an apartment is generally a prerequisite for marriage, and bride prices can demolish a family’s savings, that institution is increasingly out of reach.

The result is a generation of people who are risk-averse, which becomes clear when you talk with people in Yichun, China’s “median city”.

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