¥5/Night Living in Bridge Holes in Shanghai | Hard Times for Chinese People Have Truly Arrived

In Shanghai, a video shows a bridge tunnel filled with people living inside. According to the blogger, it is even "hard to find a spot" in such a bridge tunnel. Each person living here pays a "night fee" of 5 RMB to the "tunnel master." Numerous other bridge tunnels in Shanghai are similarly inhabited, mostly by migrant workers struggling to find work in the city. A similar situation is unfolding in another major city, Shenzhen. Migrant workers have taken to sleeping under the eaves of Shenzhen Longhua Station, though they risk being driven away by officials at any moment.

The CCP's 3-year "Zero" covid policy has significantly impacted the economy, and a sharp decline in foreign trade orders has caused many enterprises to go bankrupt. Unemployment rates in first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen have risen, leading to an increase in the number of people on the streets. Factories that once hired temporary workers daily have stopped recruiting, and migrant workers who can't find jobs are reluctant to return to their hometowns in fear of missed opportunities. Unable to afford hotel stays, they're left to wander the streets, scrambling for places to spend the night in train stations, roadsides, and bridge tunnels.

For many Chinese people, 2022 was a painful year they would rather not mention. Due to the strict zero-Covid policy, numerous people were confined to their homes, with some even starving due to the inability to buy food. Others experienced salary cuts or unemployment. As pandemic control measures were lifted in December 2022, many believed that the market economy would recover in 2023, and better days would finally arrive. However, unexpectedly, 2023 has brought even more massive business closures, layoffs, salary cuts, and rising prices. It seems that the difficult days for ordinary people have only just begun.