Stressed out white-collar workers are scaling skyscrapers,
camping out on rooftops, smashing up restaurants, pretending to be
children and even visiting cemeteries in a bid to relieve the
pressure of modern life.
As the country's economy continues to steam ahead, once popular
forms of entertainment, such as karaoke, card games and even boxing
bars, appear to be losing their appeal.
Consider the members of Shanghai's Cat Rain club. By day, this
group of young women works executive jobs, but by night they climb
buildings so they can spend the night on the roof.
"It's a good way to release our pressure. You feel relaxed when
you're sitting on the roof, looking up to the sky and chatting with
intimate friends," said Gong Ying, 25.
The stress of work is not just limited to people in
Shanghai.
A recently opened restaurant in Beijing encourages customers to
smash plates - as long as they are willing to pay to replace
them.
Though there has been some debate about the extravagance of such
services, some psychologists say the activity reflects the desire
of some white-collar workers to vent their angst.
Some workers even appear eager to return to their childhoods.
This May, hundreds of people took part in a festival in which
adults pretended to be children. It was an adults-only event, and
participants could read comics and eat sweets all day.
Scenic places such as parks and rivers can also help people
relax and put things in perspective. But a cemetery?
Cemetery companies in Shanghai organized visits to local
graveyards for stressed-out workers in March. The participants were
taken to quiet spots in the cemetery where they could contemplate
life and their futures.
Roof-camper Chen Bin, an IT marketing professional, said she had
camped out on a rooftop about 30 times. When she's not sleeping out
under the stars, she also has several other adrenalin-fueled
interests, such as downhill racing and paragliding.
"Pressure may bring us distress, but it doesn't mean we can't
find ways out," Chen says. "Life should be imaginative."
(China Daily August 21, 2007)