Poor and lonely, Chinese Gen Z compete to "raise" pebbles as pets

A strange trend is spreading among young people in China: raising "stone pets". Many young people attach eyes, dress them up, name them, and even celebrate their birthdays, treating them like pets. Psychologists say this phenomenon reflects the loneliness of today's young generation.

The trend of keeping "stone pets" is most popular among the "00 generation" group, also known as Gen Z - people in their 20s. They decorate the stones by adding eye-catching colors to make them soulful, create elaborate "nests" for them and even dress them up.

A young person shared with the press that at first she felt that raising rocks was absurd and a waste of time, but after trying it, she began to understand the feelings of those who consider rocks as pets to take care of.

The trend has grown to the point where fans have created “Pet Rock Care Guides,” and some young people have even opened businesses based on the idea. A girl nicknamed “Diep Tu” has partnered with quarries to select stones of the right shape and size. She personally selects, cleans, takes “portraits” of the stones, and sells them online.

Diep Tu also prepared many small accessories to make the stones look more like pets. She also created cute ID cards and named each stone based on its characteristics.

The store's best-selling product is the "Stone Baby Luggage" set, which includes stones ranging in size from 2cm to 7cm, a mini stone ID card, a care manual, a straw hat, a nest of grass, and some expressive stickers. In just two months, Ye Zi has fulfilled more than 1,000 orders, with monthly sales exceeding 10,000 yuan (about 35 million VND).

In addition, the market also has many derivative products from "stone pets" such as skin care creams, clothes, drinks, handbags, travel kits, etc. According to Taobao staff, the number of stores and sales of "stone pets" on this platform have increased significantly this year. Consumers are mainly concentrated in Shanghai, belonging to the generation born between 1995 and 2000, about 80% are female.

Doctor Duan Xiaowen of the Department of Depression Disorders, Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, commented that keeping pets is popular among young people because they often feel lonely and crave companionship and emotional acceptance. Pets become a source of spiritual comfort for them.

Dr. Duan shared that she herself had "pets" that suited her generation and era, such as electronic pets or the "Traveling Frog" game that was popular a few years ago. For young people, this is a way to satisfy their emotional needs at a low cost. When economic conditions do not allow for keeping cats or dogs, they turn to cheaper "pets", such as pet rocks.

She supports young people to keep pets because young people today rarely take the initiative to take care of others or give others the opportunity. When they devote themselves to taking care of pets, they can feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, which is also considered a positive feeling that nourishes the soul.