Shared beds, shrinking budgets: China’s young workers feel economic squeeze

Chinese sales agent Winnie Zeng has taken an unusual step to protect herself from an uncertain future: she now shares her rented bed with a stranger to cut costs.Frustrated by stagnant pay and worried about losing her job, the 25-year-old from the central city of Wuhan recently invited another woman to move into her bedroom, slashing her monthly rent bill by 450 yuan ($66) and helping her keep roughly three quarters of her 4,000-yuan monthly income.What might once have seemed unthinkable unrelated adults sharing the same room and even their bed to save money is emerging as a symbol of the financial pressures confronting many young Chinese. “It’s a matter of survival,” said Zeng, who spends long hours on social media livestreams showcasing consumer items that her company sells. “If you have no money, your ability to withstand risks is extremely weak the moment you stop working.”In late June, the hashtag “sharing a bed is a hardship beyond my comprehension” racked up more than 14 million views on Weibo, China’s X-like platform, while related content drew nearly 40 million views on TikTok’s sister app, Douyin.Searches for “bed-sharing” on Instagram-like Xiaohongshu, where Zeng adverti...