30-year-old Shui Zhou's company closed down last year and in April this year, he started going to a mock office where he pays 30 yuan per day – about 40 kronor – to feel like he is working, he tells BBC.
I feel very happy. It's like we're working together in a group, he says about his five "colleagues" who do the same thing as him.
Similar operations exist in larger cities all over China and with a youth unemployment rate of over 14 percent, the market can flourish. In addition to companionship from other unemployed people, the "offices" offer computers with internet connection where you can look for a job or start your own business. Sometimes, lunch and drinks are also included in the daily fee.
Shui Zhou spends his time at the "office" improving his knowledge in artificial intelligence, because he believes that competence will make it easier for him to get a full-time job.
Dr Christian Yao, lecturer in human resources in New Zealand, and expert on the Chinese economy, tells BBC that the phenomenon of pretending to work has become very common in China. He says that young people need fake offices to think about their future or take on smaller part-time jobs.
