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The tenants are mostly between 20 and 40 years old, and include freelancers, career-stagnant professionals and adventure seekers. Bookings for this month are already full.
While the Guanye center has no formal age limit, another center in the ancient village of Mandiu in Yunnan has different rules.
In an interview with Chinese news website Yitiao, its founder Lu Baike said they do not accept people over 45. He explained that they are “not very social” and many usually stay for a few days before leaving to return to their families and responsibilities.
“It defeats the purpose of being here,” he said.
In addition, his center does not accept those who “have never worked a day since leaving school and just want to ‘lie down'” because this mentality is not in line with the community’s values.
Guanye’s concept is also different from traditional elderly care institutions. The founder told CNA that Guanye’s initial concept was to build a simple home, but they later expanded their vision to include larger communities, including renovating vacant houses to promote broader rural revitalization.
Meals are a communal activity. Regular events include rafting, hiking, photography walks and dumpling-making competitions, which Mr Cui said help strengthen ties between residents and fellow villagers.
Ms Xiaofei said participation in the events was voluntary as the focus was on making real connections and sharing experiences.
Similar youth nursing homes have sprung up across China, indicating growing demand. While there is no public database to reference, CNA’s checks found such facilities have been established in Zhengzhou, Chongqing, Yunnan and Shandong.
However, the trend towards youth nursing homes has its critics, especially from the older generation.
“Why do young people want to ‘retire’ so early? This is a sign of not fulfilling their responsibilities,” one user said on Weibo, a Chinese social media app.
“If all young people have this mentality, it’s hard to imagine how society can progress,” wrote another user, though he acknowledged the trend reflected “real problems” such as China’s “grim” employment situation and working environment.
‘They gain cultural capital’
“Young people are exhausted and many don’t see the hope of achieving their aspirations in their careers,” acknowledged Dr. Amir Hampel, clinical assistant professor of Global China Studies at NYU Shanghai.
But he told CNA that although some people choose to relax briefly in youth retirement homes, they are not wasting away.
“Most of them don’t sit around getting drunk in these centers. They gain cultural capital.”
For 20-year-old university student Fang Jingyu, the brief two-day stay at Guanye Youth Retirement Village in early July was an unexpected surprise.
“Before, I had some prejudice against rural homestays, feeling that the petty-bourgeois charm was often inconsistent with the local culture,” she told Channel NewsAsia.
“But that’s not the case here. I was impressed by the strong emotional bond between the organizers, guests and local villagers.”
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