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Fran Lu

China’s fuerdai, or “second-generation rich”, are shaking off their notorious image and have become the favourite boss of some young people.
The term fuerdai was invented in the 2000s and refers to the children of people who accumulated wealth following China’s reform and opening up in 1978.
It was considered a pejorative term, often associated with the spoiled character and overindulgent lifestyles of rich children.
However, in contemporary China, fuerdai are dispensing with their stereotypes and becoming a hot property among jobseekers.

Young people believe that companies founded by these people have a relaxing environment, which allows them to tang ping.
Tang ping, or “lying flat”, means doing nothing more than what is absolutely essential to get by.
It is a popular lifestyle among young people in reaction to the societal pressures of overwork.
A similar phrase to tang ping that is also widely mentioned on social media is “quiet quitting”.
One woman said that her fuerdai boss has made her work “like holiday”.

“He does not make empty promises, gaslight us or make us work overtime. He does not dock our pay for being late for work. When our work performance was bad, he would not mind it because his family is rich.”
“The only thing we should worry about is that he might get bored and shut down the company.”
Another from Shanghai said she only sees her fuerdai boss once a week and spends most of her time sitting around in the office.
Their experience aroused envy on social media. Many asked if the posters’ companies still hire new members, calling the job a “luxury”.
One said: “I am jealous. I even find it hard to find a job with two days off a week.”

Some shared tips on how to find a company with a fuerdai boss.
According to a post with 20,000 likes, one can easily screen such companies on the recruitment app.
They should first find companies less than three years old with no more than 50 employees, meaning that the company’s boss is the founder themselves.
Secondly, the registered capital of a fuerdai company is usually more than one million yuan (US$150,000), without external funding.
Thirdly, the post summarised that the fuerdai are usually the boss themselves and recruit staff personally.
“Check out your recruiter’s social media posts. If they often travel abroad and live a relaxing life, it means they tend to not exploit their employees.”
The post also warns that small companies might not have a mature profit model, but the plus is that fuerdai will not “torture their employees because of small failures”.

In fact, some hard-working Chinese fuerdai have reversed stereotypes on them, and won praise for combining their young minds with their family resources, and providing a better work environment for people of their generation.
For example, China’s towel brand Grace’s successor Shi Zhancheng is also an influencer with 1.2 million followers on a short video platform.
Using the handle @maojinshaoye, which is translated as “the towel young master”, Shi creates funny videos of him and his uncle fighting for power, promoting his family brand in an unconventional way.
Another fuerdai, Chinese bakery chain Holiland’s founder’s second son Luo Cheng, amassed over three million followers on a platform. Many saw his account as a direct channel to express their opinions regarding the brand’s new products.


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Trending in China

“Fuerdai,” or wealthy second-generation individuals, are gaining popularity in the job market; many see companies founded by them as offering a more relaxed work environment. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

A wealthy young businessman gets down to work on an aircraft. Photo: Shutterstock

A group of four young Asian businesspeople on their way to work in a modern city.   Photo: Shutterstock

A group of young employees working in a modern workplace. Photo: Shutterstock

Young work friends take a break by enjoying a party in a bar. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese New Year bamboo greeting cards date back over 2,000 years to Han dynasty

Chinese New Year greeting cards date back over 2,000 years to the Han dynasty. They were initially made of bamboo and later paper. Photo: SCMP composite/Sohu/Weibo

A Chinese New Year greeting card made of bamboo from ancient times, above. Photo: QQ.com

As methods of sending developed over time, paper greetings, like the one above, became popular.   Photo: QQ.com

The above painting depicts a servant delivering a red-coloured so-called flying letter.  Photo: QQ.com

A man holds a modern-day 3D gift card with a horse on a red background. Photo: Shutterstock

China worker gains envy after winning 7-day ‘rain leave’; boss also offers cash subsidies

An employee in China has been envied online after she won paid leave for seven days when it rains in a company raffle. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

The lucky woman on the right was all smiles when she won her rain leave raffle prize. Photo: Sohu

People wade through a flooded street following heavy rains in Changsha, southern China. Photo: AFP

The above employee drew a raffle ticket that bagged her a hair drier as a prize. Photo: Sohu

Another lucky employee of the company won a US$30 cash subsidy prize. Photo: Sohu

China influencer tricked into Cambodia cyber scam recounts ordeal but live-stream was cut short

Chinese influencer Umi who was tricked into telecom fraud while in Cambodia, recounted her ordeal in a recent live-stream that was cut short.  Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin/RedNote

Umi, above, was found near a Cambodian hotel, looking gaunt and dirty, holding a CAT scan and suffering from a leg injury. Photo: RedNote

Gradually, Umi resumed her social media and live-streaming activities. She revealed she was forced into “keyboard work,” a term linked to telecom fraud, shortly after being lured to Cambodia. Photo: RedNote

Cyber scam operations in Southeast Asia have surged, with a UN report estimating about 300,000 people from 66 countries, including China, trafficked into fraud rings in the region. Photo: Reuters/Soveit Yarn

China influencer builds house for girl who claims to be raising sisters alone amid family drama

A philanthropic Chinese influencer splashed out to build a house for a girl who falsely claimed she was raising her younger sisters alone while facing family issues like gambling debts. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Chen Jiajun, right, chats with Aji and her sisters as they sit around a rudimentary fire. Photo: Weibo

Chen was shown the shabby bedroom, above, and decided to help the sisters. Photo: Weibo

Workers hired by Chen working on the construction of the new house. Photo: Weibo

The four sisters look excited as they are shown into the house that Chen built. Photo: Weibo

One of the smart looking rooms in the new home Chen paid for. Photo: Weibo

Plight of parentless China boy cared by grandpa attracts 46 million views, prompts government aid

A nine-year-old boy in China relies on his 73-year-old grandfather after his father died and his mother remarried. His teacher was so moved by his story that she offered to care for him if his grandfather dies. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

The boy’s grandfather said Zichen, above, often cries when he dreams about his late father. Photo: Weibo

Zichen being comforted by his grandfather, the only family member left to look after him. Photo: Weibo

Zichen gives his grandfather some food. The youngster worries that if his grandpa does not eat well he might die. Photo: Weibo

Zichen with the teacher who has pledged to look after him should anything happen to his grandfather. Photo: Weibo

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People & Culture

Overindulgent and spoiled lifestyles of second-generation rich make way for easy-going method of running businesses


Overindulgent and spoiled lifestyles of second-generation rich make way for easy-going method of running businesses.


Wealthy young Chinese gain popularity for founding companies with relaxed work environments

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Overindulgent and spoiled lifestyles of second-generation rich make way for easy-going method of running businesses

Overindulgent and spoiled lifestyles of second-generation rich make way for easy-going method of running businesses