BEIJING Panjiayuan comes alive in the afternoon. Kaarihalli, whose outer wall reads “China’s most popular antique market”, opens its doors at 3 p.m.
Craftsmen are offered pieces of jade and lumps of stone brought all the way from Myanmar. From the stalls and market tables, you can buy ready-made jewelry or, for example, the founder of the People’s Republic of China Mao Zedong’s statue.
The market area is several hectares in size. Textiles are sold in one hall, pastries in the other. From the narrow alleys of the nearby hutongs, i.e. courtyard houses connected to each other, you can get all kinds of cool weather.
After the end of the corona lockdown, there have been more and more shopkeepers, and even more of them are young adults.
Like under thirty Ro and Douwho sell their paintings, drawings, photographs and small handicrafts.
Ro is a designer by training. Dou has a university degree in business administration. He previously worked in personnel administration.
The Beijing women met through their hobby of painting. When, after the outbreak of the pandemic, they had to work remotely at their workplaces, they had a common idea to become entrepreneurs.
“Tired but happy”
They acquired their own market place in Panjiayuan at the end of 2021, when the market was still closed due to the corona virus. Since then, they have acquired places in other markets, which there are plenty of in Beijing with a population of 22 million. There are plans to expand to new cities in China.
– Our operations are still small-scale, but the goals are high, says Dou.
Ro nods next to him.
– The goal is to become big and famous. There is so much mass production of all kinds in China that there is always a demand for unique handmade products, he analysed.
China is a market area of more than 1.4 billion consumers, where the competition is fierce, but there are also many opportunities.
Dou’s flower arrangement paintings, which would not support themselves in Finland, are being taken out of control in the hustle and bustle of the Panjiayuan market. The same goes for the earrings and key rings designed by Ron.
They assert that they are satisfied with their career choice, which is not typical for a highly educated Chinese. As entrepreneurs, they get to do what they really enjoy.
However, the life of an entrepreneur in China is not easy, Ro and Dou emphasize.
– A traditional job would offer a monthly salary, but it would be binding and perhaps boring. But there is no drug of freedom here either. Small business requires creativity and energy. We are under a lot of pressure when we try to serve customers and keep the operation profitable, Ro explains.
– I’m tired at the end of the day, but still happy. Ownership and the freedom to do what you want in entrepreneurship is very rewarding, says Dou.
A record number of graduates and unemployed
There are several friends of Ron and Dou in Panjiayuan who have become entrepreneurs either full-time or part-time. Like Dou, many are attracted by the freedom of trying, some mainly want additional earnings.
Kiwi sells self-made earrings and necklaces, hats and handbags. He dreams of having his own brand sometime in the future. For now, however, crafts are just a hobby for him.
During the day, he works as an entertainment journalist and social media influencer.
– You can’t always do what you want at work. This is a great way to combine a passionate hobby with chilling with friends. Maybe later I will be able to become an entrepreneur. However, I want it to happen voluntarily, not forced, Kiwi reflects.
Many are forced to become street vendors, because youth unemployment in China is alarmingly high. Unemployment of 16-24 year olds rose to 21.3 percent in June.
Summer’s numbers attracted a lot of attention, as 11.6 million young adults graduated from Chinese universities at the same time. This year, 12.9 million test-takers took part in the gaokao, which corresponds to the university entrance examination.
The Chinese administration denies the surprising difficulties in the country’s economy, but acts in contradictions. China’s National Statistics Center announced in August that it will stop publishing unemployment figures for the time being. Development of youth unemployment so can no longer follow.
The pressure is already created as a child
French Raphael Perry is studying for a master’s degree at Tsinghua, one of the best universities in China. In his studies, he combines IT and social sciences, including journalism.
In his project work, Perri studied Chinese academic youth unemployment. Examples did not have to be found far: Tsinghua has several doctoral researchers who continue their studies out of necessity, because they have not found a suitable job.
In China as a whole, the number of doctoral students has approximately doubled in the last ten years.
It increases the pressure, which starts in kindergarten in China. For many Chinese, success in school is everything.
Most of the families are small due to the “one child policy” of the past years. Expectations related to the security of the parents’ old age are also heaped on the only child.
In China, top universities like Tsinghua are also affordable. So it is possible to get into them from poor conditions, if the school numbers are good enough.
Perri already knew about the academic pressure of the Chinese when he was studying in France, but seeing it in practice still surprised him.
– The pressure is huge. First you have to get into a good university, but that’s not enough. You have to do well in your studies in order to get a good job. The competition is fierce in Europe as well, but it is nowhere near China’s taxes, he estimates.
Stumbling at the expense of ingenuity
Perri stayed in Beijing for a summer internship. As a foreigner, a position at an international IT company was relatively easy for him.
The situation of Chinese students was more difficult. At worst, more than a thousand students competed for one job.
The heavy pressure continues in working life, which is one of the reasons why Perri, who will complete his master’s degree within a year, thinks he will return to Europe to look for a permanent job. There is a demand for an IT professional who knows China.
He highlights two things in particular, the importance of which he has learned while studying in China: Tenacity and networking.
– You must not give up, you just have to grit your teeth and push forward. Networking must be taken seriously. The Chinese build their own contact networks systematically and invest in them, says Perri.
In his field of study, many people in Europe become entrepreneurs straight from school. Only a few in China, although academic entrepreneurship is now growing.
– Young people are not encouraged to be entrepreneurs, but to study. So they do well in exams, but are not necessarily resourceful.
– Gaining work experience already while studying is not invested in, because the emphasis is on academics. I think Chinese companies and the public sector could pay more attention to these issues, says Perri.