Chinese youth use mango seeds as pets

Liu, a 19-year-old female student in Tianjin, has been "raising" two mango seeds, named Da Mao and Er Mao, since May. She even wrote an 11-page "Mango Seed Diary" on social media site Xiaohongshu, describing how the mango seed's hair grows long and changes from rough to soft and silky every day.

In her diary, she said her mango pit changed color from yellow to white and her fur became "soft to stroke" as it grew longer and was well groomed.

One of two mango seeds introduced by Liu, a 19-year-old student from Tianjin, on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, late July 2023.

Tuong Mong, another mango seed "raiser", said the care process is not simple. First, the breeder must scrub and wash the mango seeds, then use a toothbrush to brush off the remaining pulp. The mango seeds are then dried with a hair dryer and exposed to the sun several times to prevent mold.

To make the mango seeds fluffy, Tuong Mong had to dry and brush the fur, while Luu revealed that she also used aloe vera to incubate them. According to Luu, her two mango seeds "are like hamsters but much cheaper.

Besides grooming the mango seed, on the social network Weibo, many young people like Luu also adjust it to look like a willow branch, or decorate it by dyeing it or wearing jewelry.

Some people even decorate the mango seeds they "raise" as decorations.

With this new trend, people like Liu and Xiang Meng have been criticized by some Chinese netizens, who say it is a waste of time. They compare this activity to the trend of making cats and dogs out of cardboard that many students who were quarantined due to the Covid-19 pandemic over a year ago. "It's all useless. That time would be better spent socializing or exercising," one person wrote.

However, others say this trend is not a cause for concern because it does not bother or hinder others, nor is it illegal.

"It's a healthy pastime because it helps players feel relaxed and less pressured. It's better to take care of mango seeds like this than to stare at the phone all day," one person said on Weibo, emphasizing that instead of criticizing, one should respect other people's preferences.

According to VnExpress