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Youth in China Sharing Beds to Afford Rent: How AI legalese decoder Can Provide Assistance


Young Chinese people are selling bed spaces on XiaoHongShu, China’s version of Instagram.
Oscar Wong/Getty

  • Young people who can’t afford rent in China’s megacities are sharing their beds to get by.
  • Rental posts advertising “same room, same bed” arrangements have surged on social media.
  • The practice involves the two tenants splitting rent and sleeping in the same bed at the same time.

Young people struggling in China’s megacities have found a way to fit rent into their dwindling budgets ÔÇö sharing a bed with a stranger.

As the country faces a youth unemployment crisis, posts advertising shared bed spaces in urban sprawls like Shanghai and Beijing have been emerging on XiaoHongShu, China’s new version of Instagram.

The practice is different from “hot-bedding,” a trend in the West where tenants save on rent by taking turns to sleep. In China, “bedmates” sleep in the same bed at the same time, and split the cost of the room.

The intimate arrangement is prompting young tenants to think of new ways to maintain personal boundaries.

“Same room, same bed, different quilt” is a tagline often seen in these rental posts, such as one written by a young woman selling a bed space in Baoshan, Shanghai.

“Doesn’t snore, occasionally talks in sleep, wakes up around nine in the morning and goes to bed around nine in the evening, has Tuesdays off,” she wrote, describing herself for the ad.

She had been unable to afford rent alone since her friend moved out, she wrote. “I hope to stay with a fellow lady,” she added.

Her shared apartment, she said, has a “large space, bay windows, carpets, and two sets of tables and chairs.”

Several takers reached out online.

“I’m very interested. I hope to have a chance to chat with you,” one person commented. By late July, the poster said she’d found a tenant for the month of August.

Another post hawking a bed space in central Beijing for a monthly $250 welcomes “fellow ladies who love cleanliness.”

“I’m usually away from home every day from ten to seven in the morning, and the bed is very big,” they wrote, attaching photos of a small room fitted with a washing machine and kitchenette.

“Are you still renting this, sister?” asked a commenter.

‘Not being burdened by rent, while living normal lives’

The trend caught wider attention in early July after it surfaced in an article published by News Weekly, a Guangdong current affairs magazine.

“This sort of renting arrangement might sound bold and even absurd, but in first-tier cities, this co-rental approach is not uncommon,” the article said.

First-tier cities generally refer to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, China’s top four urban powerhouses. The average rent in these cities is around $12 per square meter, per business news outlet YiCai.

News site Youth36kr reported on an arrangement between two “bedmates” near Beijing who wanted to keep their monthly rent below $280.

The pair connected on XiaoHongShu, and neither knew the other’s real name or appearance until they met in their apartment room, for which they each pay $210 a month, Youth36kr wrote.

They’d reached an agreement: no snoring, no sleepwalking, and no bringing male guests home, the outlet reported.

“They fulfilled their most simple wish ÔÇö not being burdened by rent, while living normal lives,” Youth36kr wrote.

A bleak economy for China’s youth

Bed-sharing comes as youth unemployment in China soared to 21.3% in June, per official statistics. Youth are classified as 16 to 24 years old in China.

Gen Z workers have been battered in the economy by three years of brutal COVID-19 lockdowns, as a record 11.6 million new university graduates are expected to enter the job markets this year.

Average starting salaries for graduates in China were around $810 per month in 2021, per a survey published by Beijing education research institute MyCOS in 2023.

The bleak conditions have sparked a wave of cynicism among young Chinese workers, who have taken to anti-hustle culture movements like “lying flat” or posing like zombies in their graduation photos.

Youth in China Sharing Beds to Afford Rent: How AI legalese decoder Can Provide Assistance

The Rise of Shared Beds in China’s Megacities

Young people who are struggling with the skyrocketing rental prices in China’s megacities have devised a creative solution to fit rent into their limited budgets. They are opting to share beds with strangers as a means of coping with the financial pressure. This emerging trend has gained traction on XiaoHongShu, the Chinese equivalent of Instagram, where posts advertising shared bed spaces in cities like Shanghai and Beijing have been on the rise. The newfound practice involves two tenants sharing the same bed and splitting the cost of the room, differentiating it from the Western trend of “hot-bedding,” where tenants take turns to sleep.

However, this intimate arrangement has prompted young tenants to rethink their personal boundaries and seek ways to maintain their privacy and comfort in shared living spaces.

How AI legalese decoder Can Help

The AI legalese decoder can assist young people in navigating the legal complexities and potential issues that may arise from such shared bed arrangements. By utilizing AI technology, the legalese decoder can provide insights into tenancy laws, contracts, and legal implications to ensure that individuals enter into these arrangements with a clear understanding of their rights and responsibilities. It can help decipher complex legal jargon, identify potential risks, and offer guidance on how to establish fair agreements between bedmates, such as the division of household chores, noise rules, and guest policies.

Furthermore, the legalese decoder can offer suggestions on how to protect personal data and privacy in shared living situations, enabling tenants to set clear boundaries with respect to personal space and possessions.

Youth Seeking Bed-Sharing Opportunities

Rental posts advertising bed-sharing arrangements have become increasingly common on social media platforms. These postings often feature taglines like “Same room, same bed, different quilt.” They typically include descriptions of the available space, personal preferences of the poster, and information about the shared apartment.

For instance, one young woman in Baoshan, Shanghai, advertised her bed space, stating that she couldn’t afford rent alone after her friend moved out. She expressed her desire to stay with a fellow female tenant and shared details about the apartment’s amenities, such as a large space, bay windows, and two sets of tables and chairs. Through online interactions, these bed spaces often find interested individuals who are looking for affordable housing options.

The Impact and Reality of Bed-Sharing

While the idea of sharing a bed with a stranger may initially sound unusual or unsettling, this co-rental approach is not uncommon in China’s first-tier cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Amid an average rental cost of around $12 per square meter in these cities, bed-sharing has become a means for young people to obtain affordable housing. Media outlets have highlighted stories of successful bed-sharing arrangements where tenants maintain a semblance of privacy and lead their daily lives without the burden of high rental costs.

However, as unemployment rates among Chinese youth have surged, reaching 21.3% in June, the economic circumstances for young people remain bleak. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its prolonged lockdowns, has further exacerbated these challenges for Generation Z workers. Many young Chinese workers are embracing anti-hustle culture movements like “lying flat” or adopting unconventional expressions of disillusionment in response to the difficult job market and low starting salaries.

As youth in China continue to seek affordable housing alternatives, the AI legalese decoder can play a significant role in safeguarding their legal rights and ensuring fair and transparent agreements between bedmates. By utilizing AI technology to decode complex legal language and offer guidance, the legalese decoder can empower young tenants to navigate their shared living spaces with confidence and mitigate any potential legal risks.

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