As China’s job market continues to struggle, a new trend in which young people become “full-time grandchildren” by returning home to care for their elderly grandparents has gone viral.
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The trend addresses their own employment problems and the growing need for companionship among the elderly.
Such so-called full-time grandchildren provide companionship, emotional support and daily help to elderly or disabled family members.
Compared to “full-time children,” who primarily accompany able-bodied parents, “full-time grandchildren” are often seen as more filial.

One such 26-year-old who was unable to find work after failing her postgraduate and civil service exams accepted her grandfather’s invitation to return home.
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