‘Zero-energy companionship’: bizarre hobby takes seed among China’s stressed young adults

A social media post advocating raising a brick, including saying: ‘Those seemingly meaningless little things actually make you realise that, besides spending money, you can have a lively, ever-changing corner for free.’ Photograph: xiaohongshu.com

Chinese young adults looking for a cheaper, low-maintenance alternative to having pets or children have found an answer: raising bricks.

Bricks may not be as cuddly as cats or as life-affirming as human offspring, but they also cost next to nothing. “No cats, no dating, I started raising a brick,” wrote one brick parent on social media.