Why Young Adults in China Are Leaning Into Living Alone

Tired from work and craving a sweet treat or a spa day? Young people in China have a new mantra for that: “Ai ni laoji!”

The phrase, meaning “love you, dear friend,” took off on Chinese social media at the end of last year as users tacked the phrase onto videos, posts, and comments to justify spending on the dearest friend of all: themselves. 

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

It’s a familiar concept to many outside of China: through the 2010s, Western social media was inundated...