Behind the independent facade of the 30-year-old advertising director are unforeseen emotional breakdowns at night. "I felt like I was the only person left in the universe", Tian recalled, describing a moment when she cried for two hours on her sofa, with only her cat Dobby by her side.
"When you are alone, your emotions are entirely yours to control. Nothing from the outside can stop or hold them back", she said.
However, Tian knows she is not a rare case. In China's bustling urban centers, millions of young people like her are experiencing a surge in "single-person households". According to government statistics, single-person households currently account for approximately 20%, a sharp increase from under 3% in 2000. The Beike Research Institute projects that this number could reach 200 million people by 2030.
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By 2030, China is projected to have about 200 million people living in single-person households. *Future Platform*
Xiao Hui, 26 years old, a high school teacher who moved to Guangzhou for an internship in November 2025, chose to live alone because she wanted to escape control. "No one interferes with your life", she explained.
Yet, freedom always comes with a price.
As her internship neared its end, the pressure of the future weighed on Xiao Hui, and she began having nightmares about intruders. In an unfamiliar city, without close friends, everything became "especially difficult". She realized her vulnerability was most acute when she fell ill. "Even pouring a glass of water becomes a challenge when you are sick and alone", she shared. The fear of "lonely deaths" is so profound that daily safety check-in apps like Are You Dead? are becoming popular among young people in the country.
Professor Jean Yeung Wei-Jun of the National University of Singapore attributes this trend to three driving forces: the lingering effects of the one-child policy, which left young people with fewer sibling connections; urbanization, leading to later marriage ages; and the convenience of home services.
Nevertheless, material comfort does not compensate for mental exhaustion. A new term has emerged: Ai wu neng – a profound inability to love or an exhaustion from intimacy. Young people fear minor interactions and the need to compromise their "self" with others. "Too tired. The price of intimacy is too high", many admitted to anthropologist Xiang Biao.
Instead of viewing this as a social problem, experts suggest finding ways to "live with the flood". The da zi (companion) culture is gaining traction as a lifeline. These are "unbound" relationships: companions for dinner, for the gym, or for a stroll.
Tian Yuan has established a new kind of "friend family" in Guangzhou. She and her close friends live near each other, often gather for meals, but still respect each other's private space.
"Just knowing that there is another lit-up home next to yours significantly alleviates loneliness", Tian said.
Nhat Minh (According to Channel News Asia)
