- Home
- Going...
Going bananas? Stressed-out China office staff cultivate desktop fruit to battle workplace stress
- Nurturing energy-giving fruit in workplace seen as fun distraction
- So-called stop anxiety bananas kept in vases, shared with colleagues
Burned-out young workers in China have found yet another novel way of alleviating workplace stress - cultivating bananas in the office.
Employee cultivators of the fruit describe the process by which it ripens as "stop banana green", or ting zhi jiao lu, in Mandarin, which sounds similar to "stop anxiety" in English.
The trend gained popularity on Xiaohongshu, China's Instagram, where related posts have attracted more than 22,000 likes.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
The anxiety-busting bananas are typically bought when they are green with the stems still attached, allowing them to be cultivated in vases of water.
After a week or so of nurturing they are ready to eat.
This process of waiting for the bananas to ripen is considered a fun distraction from tension at work.
"From lush green to golden yellow, every moment is filled with endless hope and surprises," one person said online, adding: "Eat away the anxiety and let your troubles vanish."
It has also been said that sharing bananas with colleagues can foster better relationships at work.
"Desktop bananas naturally generate conversation," one online observer said.
Some people write their colleagues' names on the skin to "reserve" them, before handing them out to colleagues.
There are hundreds of stores selling bananas on the e-commerce platform Taobao alone, with the top-selling store recently shifting more than 20,000 bunches of the fruit. Taobao is operated by the Alibaba Group, which owns the South China Morning Post.
Some people have suggested that the trend began as a marketing stunt by banana farmers in response to a slump in sales.
"Are bananas not selling well this year? I've seen this type of banana being advertised more than once, and they are more expensive than buying them directly," said one person on Xiaohongshu.
In addition to cultivating bananas, some young office workers are also growing pineapples in vases.
"My workstation is like a tropical rainforest, it feels like I've stepped into spring early," said a 30-something worker, surnamed Yang, who grows fruit on her desk and plans to add more.
"Customising workstations according to personal preferences allows young people to create a sense of belonging and security in their own little space, helping them feel happier at work," psychologist Yu Guangrui explained to Shanghai's Youth Newspaper.
With the average working week exceeding 49 hours in China, young workers often seek ways to alleviate stress.
Last month, the "20-minute park effect" trend also went viral on Xiaohongshu, as office workers discovered that even a brief visit to an urban park could enhance their well-being and sense of happiness.
Last year, Chinese youngsters embraced tree-hugging as a stress-reliever.
More Articles from SCMP
New Nvidia Blackwell GPUs put China further behind global leading edge in AI chips amid US sanctions
Door is still open for lawful Hong Kong remembrance of June 4 crackdown
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
- https://www.msn.com/en-sg/lifestyle/other/going-bananas-stressed-out-china-office-staff-cultivate-desktop-fruit-to-battle-workplace-stress/ar-BB1nA8dC?ocid=00000000
Related
China couple’s pledge to ‘go Dutch’ on everything years ago ends in bitter court battle
Husband's 'ridiculous' claims for likes of 'doing extra dishes during festivals' rejected by court A lawsuit involving a Chinese couple who decided to "go Dutch" on every little thing in their 21 years of marriage has stunned mainland social media. The couple from southern China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region tied the knot in 1985, and signed a...
LifestyleFilm crew shooting inside China hospital ICU tells grieving family to ‘cry softly’ sparking public outrage
Crew member poses as hospital manager, threatens lawsuit for disrupting filming, prompting family to demand hospital issue public apology A hospital in central China is under fire after a film crew reportedly asked a grieving family to lower the volume of their crying in order to "not disrupt the filming". The family's mother, who was in the intens...
LifestylePublic fury as bodyguard of China celebrity demands lift be vacated for her exclusive use
Public fury as bodyguard of China celebrity demands lift be vacated for her exclusive use
LifestyleToyota Three-Row Electric SUV: Everything We Know
Toyota showcased a “bZ large SUV” concept a few years ago. Rumors suggest that it could transform into a future bZ5x.
LifestyleBlackpink star Lisa pays Chinatown shopkeepers US$540 each to shut street for video shoot
K-pop idol pays to clear Bangkok street to shoot video which has attracted 55 million views on YouTube since its June 28 release Famous Thai singer Lisa of the K-pop group Blackpink has paid shopkeepers 20,000 baht (US$540) each so that she could close down a bustling Bangkok Chinatown street to shoot a music video. Lisa, whose real name is Lalisa ...
LifestyleAirAsia partners viral travel influencer 'Kudasai Girl' for new campaign
The campaign hopes to inspire Gen Z travellers to explore destinations within Asia.
LifestyleTeacher from top China university retakes key exam aged 35, accused of depriving young
University teacher wants to realise long-term dream of studying medicine A 35-year-old man in China who graduated from the prestigious Tsinghua University a decade ago, sat the gruelling university entrance exam again this year, hoping to realise his long-held dream of studying medicine. The exam, known as gaokao on the mainland, is widely regarded...
LifestyleChina parents turn to affordable AI to predict what unborn babies will look like
Critics say idea is flawed while providers on e-commerce platforms claim 80 to 90 per cent accuracy A service that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict what an unborn baby's face will look like has become popular among parents in China. Advertised on e-commerce platforms, it claims it can "predict your baby's future face from their four-dim...
Lifestyle