‘Slumping Economy’ Rises on the Chinese Internet
Several unemployed white-collar workers in Shanghai last month started a Web site, called Slumping Economy, or “bujingqi” in pidgin Chinese. “Let’s talk about bujingqi,” says the slogan on its homepage.
The creators of the Web site said they wanted a place for white-collar workers to complain and blow off steam. Moreover, they wanted to build a platform for exchanging information in hopes that it would lead to new job opportunities for visitors.
China’s economy is still growing, but a slowdown in its growth rate is creating difficulties for a nation that needs a fast pace simply to accommodate its massive population. While the slowdown has alarmed many Chinese media outlets and netizens, Slumping Economy takes a tongue-in-cheek approach. “Bujingqi is the fashion,” reads its front-page slogan. A timeline traces the sharp drop of the Shanghai Composite Index, the national stock market barometer, which has fallen more than 60% this year. It flags the point when the index was at 6,000. “When the Shanghai Composite Index bounces back to 6,000-point mark, we’ll shut down this Web site,” a label reads. The index ended Thursday at 2031.68.
Slumping Economy now has more than 5,000 registered users, and members are adding over 1,000 new posts every day. Designed as an open forum, the site has three main sections: “open a water source” (employment information, business opportunities, etc.), “reduce outflow” (secondhand market, tips to save money, etc.) and a complaint area.
Even some self-employed businessmen are using it to search for business partners. “Many large overseas clothing companies withdrew their purchase orders for the coming spring, and my business is inevitably affected,” writes the owner of a small fabric-selling company.
Maria Yin, a 24-year-old recent college graduate, started searching for jobs in Shanghai this past summer, but has had no luck yet. “It seems that lots of people are facing the same problem as I do now. It makes me feel less desperate,” said Ms. Yin, who posts on Slumping Economy. “I’ll keep going.” She said she spends an hour or so surfing the site daily, chatting with her new friends and keeping an eye out for job information.
One popular thread has members thinking of cheap ways to celebrate the coming Christmas, which has been adopted by young people and residents as an opportunity to spend time together or to share romance. Some suggested holding an online Christmas party with virtual food and gifts provided, while others said they would figure out their own ways to spend the holiday in the real world.
“I’ll put on my best cotton-padded jacket and trousers and go downtown together with my boyfriend to the most beautifully decorated square. We’ll take a photo together using my mobile phone, and then spend three yuan each to take bus No. 925 home,” wrote one user, known as Chloe.
上海的幾位失業(yè)白領(lǐng)上月創(chuàng)建了一個(gè)名為“不景氣”的網(wǎng)站。網(wǎng)站首頁(yè)上的一條亦中亦英的橫幅寫道：Let’s talk about bujingqi（讓我們談?wù)劇安痪皻狻保?BR> 該網(wǎng)站的創(chuàng)建者稱，他們想給白領(lǐng)提供一個(gè)抱怨和發(fā)泄的場(chǎng)所。而且，他們希望建立一個(gè)信息交換平臺(tái)，藉此給訪問者帶來新的就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)。
中國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)仍在增長(zhǎng)，但增速放緩令這個(gè)需要靠快速增長(zhǎng)才能安置巨量勞動(dòng)力的國(guó)家面臨著困難。雖然經(jīng)濟(jì)降溫給許多中國(guó)媒體和網(wǎng)民敲響了警鐘，但“不景氣”卻采取了一種半開玩笑的態(tài)度。網(wǎng)站的首頁(yè)寫著“不景氣是一種時(shí)尚”。頁(yè)面上一條斜線標(biāo)致著基準(zhǔn)上證綜合指數(shù)的跌勢(shì)，這條線上6000點(diǎn)處被特別標(biāo)注了出來，邊上寫道“滬指重返6000點(diǎn)的那天，這個(gè)網(wǎng)站將被關(guān)閉”。今年迄今為止該指數(shù)已經(jīng)累計(jì)下跌了逾60%。
“不景氣”網(wǎng)站的LOGO “不景氣”目前已擁有了5000多名注冊(cè)用戶，每天的新發(fā)貼數(shù)量超過了1000條。這個(gè)被設(shè)計(jì)成公共論壇的網(wǎng)站包括了三大主要板塊：開源（招聘信息，商業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)等）、節(jié)流（二手市場(chǎng)、省錢大法）以及減壓。
即便是一些個(gè)體戶也到這個(gè)網(wǎng)站來找尋商業(yè)伙伴。一個(gè)小型織品經(jīng)銷公司的所有者寫道：許多大型外國(guó)制衣企業(yè)都取消了明春的訂單，我的生意不可避免地受到了影響。
24歲的Maria Yin是個(gè)應(yīng)屆大學(xué)畢業(yè)生，她從今年夏天開始在上海找工作，但一直運(yùn)氣不佳。她在“不景氣”上面發(fā)貼說，似乎許多人都面臨著和我一樣的難題，這讓我不那么絕望了；我會(huì)繼續(xù)努力的。她說自己每天都花差不多一個(gè)小時(shí)來瀏覽這個(gè)網(wǎng)站，和新朋友聊天并留意著新的招聘信息。
一個(gè)很受歡迎的議題是如何省錢度圣誕，中國(guó)年輕人已經(jīng)接受了這個(gè)節(jié)日并將其視為與朋友歡聚或共享浪漫時(shí)光的好機(jī)會(huì)。有人建議開一個(gè)網(wǎng)上圣誕派對(duì)，提供虛擬食物和禮品；還有人則說會(huì)想辦法在現(xiàn)實(shí)世界里過個(gè)節(jié)。
一個(gè)名為Chloe的網(wǎng)友寫道，我會(huì)穿上我的棉襖棉褲，和男友到城里裝飾最美的廣場(chǎng)上徜徉；我們會(huì)用我的手機(jī)拍照，并坐925路公交回家，每人只花3塊錢。
Several unemployed white-collar workers in Shanghai last month started a Web site, called Slumping Economy, or “bujingqi” in pidgin Chinese. “Let’s talk about bujingqi,” says the slogan on its homepage.
The creators of the Web site said they wanted a place for white-collar workers to complain and blow off steam. Moreover, they wanted to build a platform for exchanging information in hopes that it would lead to new job opportunities for visitors.
China’s economy is still growing, but a slowdown in its growth rate is creating difficulties for a nation that needs a fast pace simply to accommodate its massive population. While the slowdown has alarmed many Chinese media outlets and netizens, Slumping Economy takes a tongue-in-cheek approach. “Bujingqi is the fashion,” reads its front-page slogan. A timeline traces the sharp drop of the Shanghai Composite Index, the national stock market barometer, which has fallen more than 60% this year. It flags the point when the index was at 6,000. “When the Shanghai Composite Index bounces back to 6,000-point mark, we’ll shut down this Web site,” a label reads. The index ended Thursday at 2031.68.
Slumping Economy now has more than 5,000 registered users, and members are adding over 1,000 new posts every day. Designed as an open forum, the site has three main sections: “open a water source” (employment information, business opportunities, etc.), “reduce outflow” (secondhand market, tips to save money, etc.) and a complaint area.
Even some self-employed businessmen are using it to search for business partners. “Many large overseas clothing companies withdrew their purchase orders for the coming spring, and my business is inevitably affected,” writes the owner of a small fabric-selling company.
Maria Yin, a 24-year-old recent college graduate, started searching for jobs in Shanghai this past summer, but has had no luck yet. “It seems that lots of people are facing the same problem as I do now. It makes me feel less desperate,” said Ms. Yin, who posts on Slumping Economy. “I’ll keep going.” She said she spends an hour or so surfing the site daily, chatting with her new friends and keeping an eye out for job information.
One popular thread has members thinking of cheap ways to celebrate the coming Christmas, which has been adopted by young people and residents as an opportunity to spend time together or to share romance. Some suggested holding an online Christmas party with virtual food and gifts provided, while others said they would figure out their own ways to spend the holiday in the real world.
“I’ll put on my best cotton-padded jacket and trousers and go downtown together with my boyfriend to the most beautifully decorated square. We’ll take a photo together using my mobile phone, and then spend three yuan each to take bus No. 925 home,” wrote one user, known as Chloe.
上海的幾位失業(yè)白領(lǐng)上月創(chuàng)建了一個(gè)名為“不景氣”的網(wǎng)站。網(wǎng)站首頁(yè)上的一條亦中亦英的橫幅寫道：Let’s talk about bujingqi（讓我們談?wù)劇安痪皻狻保?BR> 該網(wǎng)站的創(chuàng)建者稱，他們想給白領(lǐng)提供一個(gè)抱怨和發(fā)泄的場(chǎng)所。而且，他們希望建立一個(gè)信息交換平臺(tái)，藉此給訪問者帶來新的就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)。
中國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)仍在增長(zhǎng)，但增速放緩令這個(gè)需要靠快速增長(zhǎng)才能安置巨量勞動(dòng)力的國(guó)家面臨著困難。雖然經(jīng)濟(jì)降溫給許多中國(guó)媒體和網(wǎng)民敲響了警鐘，但“不景氣”卻采取了一種半開玩笑的態(tài)度。網(wǎng)站的首頁(yè)寫著“不景氣是一種時(shí)尚”。頁(yè)面上一條斜線標(biāo)致著基準(zhǔn)上證綜合指數(shù)的跌勢(shì)，這條線上6000點(diǎn)處被特別標(biāo)注了出來，邊上寫道“滬指重返6000點(diǎn)的那天，這個(gè)網(wǎng)站將被關(guān)閉”。今年迄今為止該指數(shù)已經(jīng)累計(jì)下跌了逾60%。
“不景氣”網(wǎng)站的LOGO “不景氣”目前已擁有了5000多名注冊(cè)用戶，每天的新發(fā)貼數(shù)量超過了1000條。這個(gè)被設(shè)計(jì)成公共論壇的網(wǎng)站包括了三大主要板塊：開源（招聘信息，商業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)等）、節(jié)流（二手市場(chǎng)、省錢大法）以及減壓。
即便是一些個(gè)體戶也到這個(gè)網(wǎng)站來找尋商業(yè)伙伴。一個(gè)小型織品經(jīng)銷公司的所有者寫道：許多大型外國(guó)制衣企業(yè)都取消了明春的訂單，我的生意不可避免地受到了影響。
24歲的Maria Yin是個(gè)應(yīng)屆大學(xué)畢業(yè)生，她從今年夏天開始在上海找工作，但一直運(yùn)氣不佳。她在“不景氣”上面發(fā)貼說，似乎許多人都面臨著和我一樣的難題，這讓我不那么絕望了；我會(huì)繼續(xù)努力的。她說自己每天都花差不多一個(gè)小時(shí)來瀏覽這個(gè)網(wǎng)站，和新朋友聊天并留意著新的招聘信息。
一個(gè)很受歡迎的議題是如何省錢度圣誕，中國(guó)年輕人已經(jīng)接受了這個(gè)節(jié)日并將其視為與朋友歡聚或共享浪漫時(shí)光的好機(jī)會(huì)。有人建議開一個(gè)網(wǎng)上圣誕派對(duì)，提供虛擬食物和禮品；還有人則說會(huì)想辦法在現(xiàn)實(shí)世界里過個(gè)節(jié)。
一個(gè)名為Chloe的網(wǎng)友寫道，我會(huì)穿上我的棉襖棉褲，和男友到城里裝飾最美的廣場(chǎng)上徜徉；我們會(huì)用我的手機(jī)拍照，并坐925路公交回家，每人只花3塊錢。