Serious Issue of "Rural Dependency" in China: Blogger Highlights Root Causes of Employment and Security

Although hair has turned gray, the struggle to survive requires relentless effort. (Video screenshot)

[People News] The Chinese Communist Party's official magazine Banyuetan recently published an article emphasizing that the phenomenon of "rural dependency" in China needs urgent attention. Other state media have also commented on this issue. Why has "relying on parents" become prevalent among rural young and middle-aged people? What deeper issues in rural China are reflected by this phenomenon?

According to a November 5 report by Banyuetan, there is a "rural dependency" trend among young and middle-aged individuals in some rural areas of China, spanning ages from 20 to 40. Young people rely on parents primarily due to insufficient earnings post-employment or remaining unemployed at home, while those over 30 often depend on their parents for expenses like buying cars and paying mortgages. Some parents even have to use their retirement savings to support their children and grandchildren. The article argues that, against the backdrop of "comprehensive rural revitalization and continuous urban-rural integration," this trend of "rural dependency" needs urgent attention.

According to Radio Free Asia, YouTube blogger "Tang Ping Shu" analyzed: "This dependency phenomenon ultimately stems from employment issues and security issues. The core problem is providing employment and more quality job opportunities. This is a task for the government. Second, there needs to be security. If farmers have security, even if dependency exists, it would not lead to significant conflicts. Third, to change this, more investment must be directed towards rural areas, with funding shifted towards improving rural security."

Is the "Dependency Pain Index" Higher in Rural Areas than in Cities?

State media Xinhua News Agency also republished a commentary from the Guangzhou Daily titled The Phenomenon of "Rural Dependency" Must Be Addressed. The article stated that compared to urban areas, the "pain index" of rural dependency is higher. It is well known that rural elders typically have meager incomes, with many saving up a "coffin fund" after a lifetime of frugality. In old age, instead of relying on their children, they are sometimes exploited by them, with the second generation even bringing the third generation along to "rely on the parents."

Wang, a man from rural Hebei who "moved" to the U.S. during the pandemic, told Radio Free Asia that true "dependency" exists more among urban residents with high income and pensions; rural people often do not even have the conditions for such dependency.

"Most rural work is basic, such as construction and service industries, which are labor-intensive. Overall, rural parents often do not have savings," Wang explained. Many rural parents exhaust their savings, even incurring debts, to buy houses and pay for weddings for their sons, leaving nothing behind.

"Jobs for young people are hard to find, life is difficult, and they sometimes need financial support. When they reach old age, there's hardly any savings left, and few rural elderly have savings," Wang noted. With poor retirement and medical insurance conditions, elderly parents in rural areas often struggle to survive and rely on their children financially, leaving no means for the younger generation to "rely" on them.

Wang also analyzed that the "rural dependency" issue touches on various factors like elder care, employment, population imbalance, and rural depopulation, making it a systemic problem that cannot be solved by examining dependency in isolation.

Economic Downturn and Difficulties Finding Work: What Are Rural Youth Doing?

Despite the rare acknowledgment in state media of economic decline leading to urban employment difficulties and insufficient earnings even for those with jobs, coverage often stops short of addressing youth unemployment in detail.

Post-pandemic economic decline in China has led to sluggish real estate and consumer spending, impacting employment and resulting in persistently high youth unemployment rates. Official data from September showed an unemployment rate of 17.6% for urban workers aged 16 to 24, a number that excludes students and a significant rural unemployed population.

Economic stagnation and geopolitical issues have led foreign investments to pull out of China in recent years, while private enterprises have struggled due to government policies. This has caused many labor-intensive factories in China's southeastern coastal regions to shut down, leaving numerous migrant workers unemployed. According to Reuters, over 200 million people in China currently participate in the gig economy. So where have the unemployed rural youth gone?

"In developed southern areas, returning home means working in local factories. In my hometown in the north, there are basically no factories, so returning home means farming," Wang from Hebei said, pointing out that rural situations vary widely, with some areas having more land per capita and others very little. "Especially in the central plains, land per person is less than one acre. It’s hard to maintain basic living solely on farming."

A young man from a village in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, using the pseudonym "Marginal Man," told Radio Free Asia in writing that while the economy is poor and "many" young people seek jobs to no avail, not many stay home to "depend on parents." When asked about the path for youth returning home, his answer was "working as food delivery drivers, farming, or gambling on private lotteries in Hainan."

Food Delivery, Farming, and Gambling: Limited Options for Rural Youth in Guangdong

"Marginal Man" mentioned that gambling, often underestimated, attracts many young people across Hainan and Zhanjiang: "There are several ways to play, with odds ranging from 1:9500 to 1:95. Some people have won hundreds of thousands, buying homes and getting married, but others have lost everything."

He added that fewer young people are willing to work in factories, while many turn to food delivery. "Delivering food doesn’t bother young people—it’s about earning money through effort. However, in my town, food delivery is done by young people from other towns because they fear being seen by acquaintances and laughed at."

"Marginal Man," who started working after high school and has drifted through different jobs for nearly nine years, once believed that as long as he worked hard, earning tens of thousands a year was possible. However, after the pandemic, he faced repeated recruitment failures from Guangdong to Beijing to Shanghai, leaving him feeling desperate. Now, without a stable job and struggling to support himself, he hasn’t planned on returning home to "depend on parents."

"This year’s health insurance rose to 400 yuan per person. I told my parents to pay for themselves only. I won’t pay mine." He shared that his parents earn money by using electric bikes to carry passengers, an illegal trade that nets about 100 yuan on good days and as little as 10 to 20 yuan on bad days, making "depending on parents" impossible.

When asked if he could return home to farm, he explained that he didn’t receive any land due to his father working away for many years, and his parents' land is "barely the size of a palm," making farming not worthwhile.

Amid Economic Crisis: What’s Next for Returning Rural Youth?

In February, the international NGO China Labour Bulletin published an article titled What's Next for Rural Youth in Times of Crisis?, noting that under the current economic crisis, Chinese cities, which once absorbed large numbers of migrant workers, can no longer provide sufficient job opportunities. Population flow is reversing, with more migrant workers returning to rural areas. However, whether they work or return home, the future for rural youth remains challenging.