Emptier Than the Pandemic! Where Have China’s People Gone?

China's financial crisis is worse than imagined. The government has resorted to borrowing money to pay civil servants' salaries. From officials and teachers to doctors, all are facing wage arrears. China's economy has regressed 20 years. People rely on for-you-unboxed meals, first-tier cities face a sharp consumption drop, and closures continue unabated. The mystery of China's 1.4 billion people. Disappearing from first-tier cities to turned into ghost towns emptier than during the pandemic. China's industries are riddled with countless toxic food scandals, fostering a cycle of mutual harm. This year, cancer deaths in China have tripled the death toll from the Russia-Ukraine war. You're watching China Revealed, your source for timely analysis and grounded perspectives on today's China. China's financial crisis is worse than imagined. The government has resorted to borrowing money to pay civil servants' salaries. From officials and teachers to doctors, all are facing wage arrears. Once working within the CCP system was a dream job for many Chinese stables secure and respectable. But today, this iron rice bowl has completely rusted. A Chengdu-based influencer highlighted that civil servants, long regarded as holders of iron rice bowls in China, are now resorting to loans to cover their salaries. This absurd situation is merely the tip of the iceberg reflecting China's current reality. Stable jobs like those of civil servants and teachers are now facing an unprecedented wave of delayed or unpaid wages. More and more public sector workers are dealing with unpaid salaries reduced subsidies and vanishing performance bonuses making their lives increasingly difficult. This is not just a local issue but a nationwide chain reaction driven by fiscal pressure. It used to be that entering the system guaranteed security but that belief is now being shattered by reality. A blogger stated that many places can no longer pay salaries and for those that can, most have started cutting pay or reducing benefits. On top of that, the system is beginning to lay people off. Not only is the work stressful but there are also countless strict rules. A client once told me that colleagues must be extremely cautious about what they say. Even on social media, no one dares to post freely. Work is dull and monotonous with meetings every day and when problems arise, everyone just passes the buck. According to Radio Free Asia, multiple districts in Zhengzhou have reported cases of teachers and civil servants experiencing delayed wages. Performance bonuses and allowances have been cancelled and basic monthly salaries have dropped from around 5,000 yuan to about 3,000 yuan approximately 417 US dollars. The situation is even more severe in Fangchenggang, Guangxi province. Reports indicate that 11 provinces have started cutting civil servants' pay or suspending performance bonuses. For example, in Liuzhou, Guangxi wages were cut by 15 percent. In Yan'an, Shaanxi performance bonuses were suspended entirely and township civil servants in Fuyang, Anhui received only basic wages for three consecutive months with take-home pay as low as 2,100 yuan approximately 292 US dollars. According to Article 50 of China's Labor Law, employers must not delay wages without cause, but this law has become effectively meaningless within the system. When governments start borrowing to pay salaries and fiscal deficits suffocate grassroots units, the severity of this crisis far exceeds public imagination. Wage arrears affect more than just civil servants and teachers. Hospitals and enterprises are also struggling. A blogger in Suzhou said she could no longer persist in the medical field despite having endured the pandemic. She shared that salaries haven't been paid for seven to eight months, not even a living allowance. According to survey by Kaijing, public hospitals in 18 provinces across China have experienced cuts, delays, or cancellations of performance pay for medical staff. Many doctors reported on Tencent QQ that their bonuses were cut in half, leading many nurses to resign en masse. Hospitals cut 30 percent of logistical staff, and even the hospital director's secretary was reassigned to patient guiding duties. Some analysts say the root cause of this wave of wage arrears lies in the collapse of land-based fiscal revenue. In the past, local governments depended on land sales for nearly half their fiscal revenue, but with the property market collapse, land sales have stalled and revenues have dried up. Analysts point out that on one hand, grassroots employees struggle to recover wages, while on the other hand, children of senior officials easily rise to high positions. This contrast is both striking and disappointing. China's economy has regressed 20 years. People rely on for-you-unboxed meals, first-tier cities face a sharp consumption drop, and closures continue unabated. China's economy is rapidly declining, incomes are shrinking, and consumption patterns are shifting. Many people are meticulously budgeting, even afraid to spend. Currently, four or five-you-un approximately 70 cents USD boxed meals are common in many cities. The heyday of five-you-unboxed meals was the 1990s. A business owner in food wholesale and retail with decades of experience said this year has been the worst for business. With widespread unemployment and no income sources, consumption downgrading is evident. People are tightening their wallets, spending less, and opting for simple practical options. This has become the new consumption habit for Chinese people. Businesses face unprecedented competition due to intense market involution. A blogger shared in Guangzhou, a first-tier city, yes, a global first-tier city, a meal costs just four yuan. Now, four-you-unboxed meals containing pork mushrooms and pickled vegetables in Harbin are going viral. If you're still talking about consumption upgrading, you're either naive or malicious. Why are they so popular? They're a sign of consumption downgrading proof that local purchasing power is declining. This also shows a huge demand for low-end affordable consumption. We've entered an era of low-quality economic growth in China where consumption falls short of desires. People are cutting unnecessary expenses. With heavy rent pressures filling your stomach is enough no talk of fast food or gourmet enjoyment, just basic satisfaction. A netizen posted a video highlighting consumption downgrading a six-you-un haircut with prices reverting to 20 years ago. I went to the second floor of a mall and was shocked 90% of the stores have closed. Physical retail is struggling this year, they said. A 40-year-old unemployed person from Shanghai shared in a video I used to eat meals costing over 50 yuan without a thought. I never bought budget drinks like Bing Feng soda before, but now unemployed, I'm downgrading my consumption and bought a three-yuan meal bucket. With 1.4 billion people, China's consumption remains stagnant. Business in 2025 will be even tougher stores and streets are empty with no hope in sight. Commercial streets are collapsing with barely any customers. It's possible China's population is now below one billion and this severe recession has led to this situation, a netizen showed. This used to be a bustling market with millions in revenue, now it's deserted you could drive through it. This is an economic depression, even high-speed trains are a luxury now with so many empty seats, no wonder they're losing money hardly anyone's riding. Consumption downgrading and a wave of closures continue to sweep the nation. Business is tough now, fewer people are dining out and too many restaurants are closing. Opening a restaurant is a terrible decision worse than ever before. Many factories and businesses have shut down leaving people jobless and wage arrears have become the norm. The lifespan of businesses like Korean-style shops is extremely short averaging just one month. This struggle is universal across industries nationwide. Running a business feels nearly impossible with incomes dropping by over 60%. Ordinary people have no money and are too afraid to spend even the young. The recent May Day holiday known as China's Golden Week showed a stark contrast. A well-known Shanghai blogger revealed that during the holiday, Shanghai residents visited tourist attractions but barely spent money. Shanghai's consumption downgrading is glaringly evident. Michelin-starred restaurants once impossible to book now have empty seats. At Henglong Plaza, luxury brand staff stand around chatting out of boredom. Clothes that once cost thousands of yuan aren't selling and people prefer affordable brands around 100 yuan approximately 14 US dollars. This consumption downgrading trend is sweeping through Shanghai's Financial institutions have tried to counter this with consumer loans offering low interest high amount products but reality has hit hard. Even with near zero interest rates, people are clutching their wallets unwilling to borrow and spend. The economic environment is bleak and everyone fears salary cuts or layoffs. The future is filled with uncertainty. In March, Shanghai's retail sales plummeted 14.1% compared to the year before. Analysts note that Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are China's consumption trendsetters, driving and guiding national consumption. Their cliff-like decline signals the dire state of consumption across the country. The mystery of China's 1.4 billion people disappearing from first-tier cities to villages turned into ghost towns emptier than during the pandemic, a blogger shared in a video. Not only are the streets quiet but even large shopping malls are eerily empty with hardly any visitors besides staff. Many Chinese cities feel unusually silent. Malls are deserted, night markets are desolate, streets have few pedestrians, and even bustling subway stations now have plenty of empty seats. I suddenly realized a disturbing issue a relative from my village said, there's hardly anyone left there. With China's supposed 1.4 billion population where have all these people gone? I'm starting to doubt whether we really have 1.4 billion people. If we do, why are they neither in the cities nor the villages where have they gone? Many netizens in big cities are asking the same question, where have all the Chinese people gone? A resident noted, Qingdao streets are so quiet, it's unsettling. With China's 1.4 billion people and Qingdao's 11 million, where have all the Qingdao residents gone? This afternoon, I visited several malls and just now went to a night market both were empty. There are hardly any people on the streets or in parks except for the elderly and children, no young people in sight. Even factories have few workers. Are people just staying home? In malls, there are more shop owners than customers. A night market vendor told me that since this year the number of people has been dwindling, there's hardly anyone anywhere. So what's happened to Qingdao's people? Observers note that more and more cities are showing signs of hollowing out. Even economically vibrant Shenzhen isn't immune. Ten years ago, when Shenzhen's population just exceeded 10 million street food stalls, were still flipping tables at 3 a.m. Now, with nearly 20 million people, Longgang's industrial zone is empty. Baowan's urban villages are quiet, and even prime commercial areas like Coast City's East Gate are plastered with shop for lease signs. Where have Shenzhen's people gone? Shanghai's situation is even more stark. Subways are less crowded. Downtown feels spacious, and mall foot traffic is half what it used to be. Some say the poor economic environment has driven people back to their hometowns. Others say young people aren't marrying, and with low birth rates, the population is shrinking, mostly just elderly or single people remain. Are there other reasons this phenomenon is appearing in many parts of China? Cities keep expanding, but the tide of people is receding. Recent data shows that 64.5% of China's regions are experiencing negative population growth, meaning over 60% of provinces are losing people. This isn't just a numerical shift. It reflects deep structural issues affecting economic development, educational resources, public services, and institutional operations. If unchecked, it could trigger a systemic chain reaction. The Northeast is a clear example, having lost 13 million people since 2010. China's birth rates, halved medical centers, school stationary, and education industries collapse in turn. The nightmare is just beginning. Despite the government relaxing the three-child policy and offering subsidies, young people's willingness to marry and have children remains low. This may not only be an economic warning, but a societal turning point. A country without war experiencing a cliff-like drop in birth rates doesn't this deserve reflection. In 2016, China's newborn population was 17.86 million, but within eight years, it has nearly halved. The total fertility rate has plummeted from 6.0 to 1.02, just above South Korea's ranking second to last globally. Data shows 4.33 million births in the first half of this year, with estimates below 8 million by year-end. China has 3,082 maternal and child health institutions, meaning each hospital averages just a few births daily. As a result, hospitals in places like Zhengzhou, Ningxia, Bengbu, and Ganzhou have shut down obstetric services since 2023, with at least 10 nationwide ceasing such operations. Postpartum care centers once in high demand are now facing losses, with 1 in 10 closing and 2 in 10 shutting down entirely. The remaining centers are likely preparing to close. This chill has spread to the education system. In recent years, the number of primary schools has dropped from 200,000 to 140,000, a one-third reduction. Universities face enrollment shortages, middle school desks sit empty, primary schools are merging, and kindergarten closures are common. In Chengdu, 70 kindergartens closed between the second half of 2024 and April 2025, leading to thousands of job losses. The declining birth rate has disrupted the balance of supply and demand. Industries such as books, stationary desks, tutoring, and study abroad are forced to downsize. Maternity products remain unsold. Children's clothing is on clearance, and formula manufacturers are clearing inventory, affecting the entire consumption chain. Even the car and housing markets are impacted. Who buys family cars without children? Who buys houses without starting families? A viral online question asks, who crushed China's birth rate? In five years, births dropped 40%, and the competitive population shrank by 90%. The population crisis is severe, with even officials urging young people to have children. But should the blame really fall on the youth low marriage and birth rates or surface issues? Dig deeper, and education, housing, and health care emerge as the three major barriers preventing young people from affording children. Over the years, China's housing prices have soared, and education costs have become suffocating. Many ordinary people empty their parents' savings or sell everything to buy a home, appearing to own million yuan assets but lacking even 5,000 yuan in cash. Who dares have children in this situation? From formula to education and health care, everything costs money. In big cities, enrolling a child in a good school or tutoring class starts at thousands of yuan. Living in a million-yuan home but unable to provide basic security for the next generation, soaring housing, education, and health care costs act as the most effective contraceptives. When the cost of raising children is immense, and the returns negligible, this systemic pressure squeezes ordinary people's living space. Observers note that this drastic population shift will inevitably strain the pension system. Fewer children today mean more elderly to support tomorrow. Pension imbalances delayed retirement, and surging health care pressures are already emerging. In the future, hospitals filled with elderly patients, long waits for nursing homes, and children juggling work and caregiving will become the norm for many families. The population issue isn't just a statistical problem. It's a warning line for the nation's future. If this trend continues, China may face an aging society with no young people losing not just the demographic dividend but society's vitality and hope. China's industries are riddled with countless toxic food scandals, fostering a cycle of mutual harm. This year, cancer deaths in China have tripled the death toll from the Russia-Ukraine war. Our daily lives revolve around basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. The key to living a happy and secure life largely depends on whether one can access safe and healthy food in their daily routine. The following video condenses the troubling daily reality faced by many ordinary Chinese people. A woman laments, In the morning, I wake up on a toxic cotton pillow change into a harmful sanitary pad, apply makeup with arsenic-laced eyeshadow, and stick on fake eyelashes made with formaldehyde. After struggling through a tiring day at work, I wear substandard online-purchased clothing, drink a cup of blended soy milk, eat two buns filled with carcinogenic lymphatic meat, and later, when sleepy, order a drink made with non-dairy creamer and synthetic milk. At lunch, I eat zombie meat marinated in urea-packed seasoning. This is the harsh reality many Chinese people face every day surrounded by harmful substances in all aspects of life. Investigative reports have uncovered businesses using large quantities of carcinogenic lymphatic meat to produce meat-stuffed buns for public consumption. Popular milk tea drinks consumed by young people have their own dark secrets. A 22-year-old woman was diagnosed with end-stage uremia after long-term milk tea consumption with both kidneys irreparably damaged. Meanwhile, take-out food is often made with expired zombie meat. Even the beauty industry isn't safe. Manicure services are rife with issues. Industry insiders admit they cannot ensure one-customer-one sterilization. Nail polish is reused between hands and feet. Experts confirm that alcohol sterilization cannot kill fungi. Seemingly harmless pretty bowls have also been linked to rising cases of childhood leukemia. China operates under a dual food system. One system provides specially supplied food for CCP officials at all levels, from central to local governments, including highly organic and healthy produce. The other system caters to ordinary citizens offering food products riddled with additives, even in brightly packaged goods sold in major supermarkets. Street food and cheap snacks are even worse. Experts explain that zombie meat refers to expired or spoiled meat, often smuggled frozen meat stored for decades or beyond its shelf life. These meats are cheap, making them attractive to unscrupulous businesses looking to cut costs. However, such meat is often contaminated with bacteria or viruses, leading to food poisoning, parasitic infections, or other health risks. One man criticized, if this continues, we won't need a war to destroy ourselves. We'll self-destruct through what we eat. Just look at what we're consuming. Oranges are waxed bananas, are soaked in chemicals, and foods are filled with additives, preservatives, colorings, and artificial flavors. These substances are corroding our bodies every day. Leukemia in children and infertility in young people are on the rise, and it's all connected to these toxins. According to CCTV from 2018 to 2020, 100,000 young people and children died from leukemia. Food safety must become a priority. One netizen remarked, fish farmers don't eat fish, pig farmers don't eat pork, vegetable growers don't eat their produce, barbecue sellers don't eat their barbecue. In the end, fish farmers eat vegetables, vegetable growers eat pork, pig farmers eat barbecue, and barbecue sellers eat pork. Everyone is harming each other for short-term profit. Reports indicate that 4.82 million people in China died of cancer in 2024, three times the death toll of the Russia-Ukraine war. One netizen commented, food safety is a knife aimed at ourselves. Critics attribute this crisis to the CCP's dual food system, where those within the system enjoy exclusive access to safe, high-quality food, while the public is left to face toxic options. This has made China the world leader in cancer rates. The CCP government, which claims to serve the people, enjoys special privileges and guaranteed food safety, allowing them to ignore the suffering caused by unsafe food for ordinary citizens. As one netizen summarized, they don't prioritize education because their kids study abroad, they don't care about health care because they have VIP hospital wards, they ignore food safety because they have special supplies, and they disregard the country's future because their families have already emigrated. The only thing they care about is maintaining their power. As another netizen pointed out, without abolishing the special supply system, it will be impossible to solve the food safety problem. But will the Chinese government voluntarily cancel their exclusive supply of high-quality food? It seems that only a fundamental systemic change can ensure that ordinary Chinese people have access to safe and trustworthy food. We appreciate your feedback. Please share your views in the comment section. If this content spoke to you, we invite you to share it with your network. Your continued support allows us to pursue independent high-quality journalism. 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