Chinese Youth's Fear of Tet

'This year, I proactively asked my boss to let me go on duty so I could go to the city early, avoiding having to stay at home for a few more days,' said a girl born after 1995 in China.

Chinese people carry bags home for Tet. Photo: China Times

"If I had to use a scale from 1 to 10 to describe my 'fear of Tet', I would probably rate it at 8 or 9," said Hu Minmin, who moved from the countryside to Shenzhen city to work three years ago, according to Xinhua.Man Man likes to celebrate Tet in her hometown but is afraid to go back because it is expensive.

"When visiting relatives during the New Year, you can't just go empty-handed. One year, I had to give gifts to all my relatives, and also give lucky money to the children, which cost more than 20,000 yuan (US$2,900). So when I returned to Shenzhen, I had to buy a bunch of instant noodles and eat them for several months instead of rice to save money," the young woman said.

Sharing the same fear of going home for Tet, Bach Anh, 32 years old, from Nam Xuong city, Jiangxi province, has a different reason.

"Ever since I graduated from college, my parents have been hinting at bringing a boyfriend home. It's been 7 years now, and I still haven't brought one home for them. My friends around me have all gotten married one by one, and even my younger sister has started a family," Bach Anh said. "Every time Tet comes, everyone calls me 'old maid', which makes me laugh and cry."

She graduated from a famous university and works in a large state-owned enterprise. Bach Anh's parents are both retired university professors. In the eyes of others, she is considered the "ideal person", but marriage is a headache for Bach Anh.

"My biggest wish this year is to find someone who truly loves me, get married and live a peaceful life," she confided.

Wang Jun, a young man from Shandong province, is afraid to go home for the Lunar New Year because he is forced to drink alcohol every day. "I'm so scared. Every day my mind is foggy and my stomach hurts," Wang Jun said.

His family lived in the countryside, and during Tet there weren't many recreational activities in the village, so the only thing relatives and friends had for fun was to gather and drink. Vuong Quan had a low alcohol tolerance, and every time he drank he got drunk, but he couldn't help but drink for fear of offending everyone.

Therefore, this year, Vuong Quan proactively asked to return to Beijing early to work, avoiding having to stay home and drink. "Country people are honest and only know how to offer wine to express their feelings. However, people often force people to drink. If we didn't need to force people to drink, but let them drink as much as they wanted, Tet would be so much more fun," Vuong Quan said.

According to VNE