Sichuan has taken action, the scene is completely out of control!! This is the situation for physical businesses in Shanghai! Even the big tech firms can't hold on anymore. The biggest problem now is no longer finding a job! Qiqi Baba TALK 'Refreshing 820' 20261105

In this episode, host Qiqi touches upon a violent conflict triggered by line-cutting at Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan. Combining netizen experiences with her own observations, she explores the current depression in Shanghai's real economy, wage regression, and the severe pressures facing major tech companies and the job market. Meanwhile, the program also shares the current situation of a 76-year-old Beijing hutong resident who has fallen into extreme plight due to a lack of livelihood, combined with injury and illness.

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Hello everyone, welcome to Qiqi Baba, I am Qiqi. A violent incident happened in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan. Actually, after watching this, I didn't have much of any other feeling; my attention was drawn to the magnificent rivers and mountains, the scenery. Because in my eyes, all of a sudden it felt as if these landscapes were personified. They felt like rich young ladies who married the wrong person, falling into the hands of a bunch of bandits. It's really miserable.

Auntie, it's so cold!

Don't leave, don't leave right here! We are all standing here, don't leave, right? I want to leave!

I want to leave.

People have been fucking beaten like this, don't leave!

Him.

Don't leave! This matter definitely cannot be walked away from. This matter can't be walked away from, no leaving, no leaving, you guys stand here. You're fine, you go ahead first, you go ahead first. Hello everyone, goodbye.

This Jiuzhaigou.

Big brother.

Hey, someone on our side got hurt from being beaten. Who are you guys?

This incident, it is said to have happened for such a reason: these two elderly people wanted to cut the line, and then this young person came out to dissuade them, saying don't do that, and then he was beaten. He got beaten into this state just for speaking up. So looking at the beautiful scenery behind them, I really feel a sense of desolation, because I truly feel that these people really don't deserve it.

Friends, I feel like the job market over here in the United States is really about to be ruined, especially with AI getting crazier and crazier. I finally welcomed an interview opportunity last week, and when I was chatting casually with the recruiter, he told me that as soon as a position is posted on the website, it can receive hundreds of resumes, and out of those hundreds of resumes, every single person meets the requirements—every single person, huh.

Finding a job is hard—actually, that is a derivative expression, because in reality, what is currently being talked about as hard is making money. Yes, it's hard for you to earn living expenses, so everything related to this is hard, like the real economy, for instance.

The year 2026 is my tenth year in Shanghai. Regarding salaries in Shanghai, I feel that over the past two years, they have returned to nearly what they were ten years ago. Why do I have such a profound feeling about this? Just two days ago, I went to Lianjia to print some documents. In my memory, their base salary used to always be between 8,000 and 12,000 yuan. But then he told me that their base salary now is 3,000 yuan, and rental and property sales are handled separately. Previously, they required education credentials—it had to be a full-time undergraduate degree—but now they accept any level of education. Well, there's another thing: even at Starbucks, their base salary is only 4,500 yuan. So Shanghai isn't entirely high-income anymore. Base salaries across other industries have also dropped significantly, down to 4,000–5,000 or 5,000–6,000 yuan, and many of them now involve flexible base salaries rather than guaranteed base salaries. And if you want to earn some commission, it's very difficult, because in Shanghai, the bulk of your expenses goes toward housing and food. As for food, the cheapest meals now cost over 20 or 30 yuan, and slightly better ones cost over 40 yuan, so consumer prices aren't low either. The cheapest steamed bun costs 2.5 yuan, slightly better ones cost 4.5 yuan, and many even start at 3.5 yuan. But looking at the place where I work, a 3.5-yuan bun is pretty large—normally eating two is enough, and eating three leaves you stuffed.

Uh, sometimes I can eat three because I have a larger appetite. So two days ago when I saw that shop go out of business, it felt unbelievable. Actually, people used to line up at their shop all the time; there were always long lines and plenty of customers. I don't know why it suddenly shut down either.

Well, let me talk about the area where I live. Where I live is close to Xuhui. Over the past six or seven years, this area has seen shops change through at least six or seven rounds of turnover. Just think about it: on average, shops change every single year, and most of the time they sit vacant. Many stores can't even last a year. Speaking of Xuhui, Xuhui is considered downtown Shanghai, yet many storefronts are closed and empty. In fact, along an entire row, hardly any shops are open; most of them are up for rent.

It might be because rent is too expensive, and now many people shop online, so offline brick-and-mortar businesses have indeed taken a huge hit. Think about it: if even Xuhui District in downtown Shanghai is in such a situation, you can imagine what it's like in other places. So offline physical retail business right now is really not that promising. Furthermore, regarding office buildings and corporate rentals, many companies are no longer expanding. Like many foreign enterprises, they no longer renew leases or expand; many companies are cutting salaries and laying off staff, or even slashing expenses to cut costs and boost efficiency. This serves as a wake-up call for every ordinary person: while you can still earn money, you must save up and build some savings. Otherwise, when this economic winter arrives, if you really get unemployed one day and lose your income completely, yet every day the moment you open your eyes and step out the door you have to pay for food, drink, and basic living necessities, what are you going to do?

I just got off work and was heading home, crossing a pedestrian bridge near the subway station, when I saw a mother and daughter selling flowers. They said it was six yuan per pot. I was very surprised and asked what kind of flowers they were. Because they had some artificial flowers as well as real ones, I wanted to ask why they were so cheap. Then a little boy started explaining. The little boy was only five or six years old, and he said, "Uh, these flowers are on clearance, brought out from our shop to sell." I asked why they were selling them so cheap. He said they were clearing out inventory because the shop's rent was too expensive, and they couldn't afford it anymore, so they stopped renting and were clearing out the storefront as it shut down. The little boy kept trying to sell them to me. He said the flowers on this side were better, and this brand came with a written blessing that you could choose or swap freely. As for the ones over there, some had been crushed, so these here were better; I could pick from this side, while the ones over there weren't as good.

Since I work in sales myself, I'm quite sensitive to this. I thought, what a great kid! Look at him, only five or six years old and he already knows how to pitch, constantly selling. His mom didn't say anything—she didn't speak a word—while he kept pushing the sale, explaining and talking on his own. I think he's really a wonderful kid, but from this you can see how terribly depressed and bad the current economy really is. So, prepare an umbrella before it rains, and prepare warm clothes before it gets cold. When we have an income, we must plan ahead and save a little for the future. If crisis strikes one day, you won't need to panic too much because you have food stored away—as the saying goes, "with grain in hand, there is no panic in your heart."

For thirty-five-year-old me, I only realized the importance of money around the age of thirty-three. Before that, I just spent whatever I had; I saved if I could, and didn't if I couldn't. As for money, either my parents asked me to keep it with them, or siblings and relatives borrowed it, or other people asked to borrow money and I just lent it to them without giving it much thought. Because when you lend money to others, you certainly don't charge interest, thinking you should just help out if you can. After all, during my college years, my tuition and living expenses were all borrowed from others who voluntarily lent them to me. Regarding financial management or whatever, once your wealth accumulates to a certain point, it can truly change your life and destiny, allowing you to live a different life that might be several times better than what you have now.

Then I only came to this realization at the age of 33, feeling that, oh, I have a little money now, and only then did I realize that, oh, actually if I could have a bit more, uh, what could I do with this money, which is concentrating resources to accomplish major tasks. So how terrifying! Previously I had no concept of money; I just wanted to eat what I wanted, buy what I wanted, and spend what I wanted. Now I basically don't buy things much anymore. Every time I buy something, I feel like I'm wasting money! I'm spending the money I currently earn with such hard work. I don't own a house right now, nor do I have much savings. I still want to retire early, so what should I do? Therefore, I am now changing my current lifestyle and also changing my bad habit of loving to buy things, um.

Everyone can understand why more and more people are fleeing Shanghai now, right? It's just that back when the economy was booming, Shanghai could be said to be the best land willing to give hard-working young people in China a chance. Normally, if it were the domestic economic situation back then, I should have gone to Shanghai to develop myself now as well. But now friends have seen it too. If back then you were someone with ideas, daring to strive and venture out, wanting to achieve something, Shanghai really had opportunities back then. But now you can very clearly feel that it's no longer working; it is basically in a state of late twilight, paralyzed. By the way, I'd also like to share with everyone a little-known reality of many local Beijingers—that is, the group of people who call themselves "Old Beijingers"—what kind of state are they roughly in?

"Even now, my son is 47, and he still doesn't have a partner." "Oh. Then are you anxious or not?" "What's the use of being anxious all day? I take responsibility for what I do; a person may be poor, but poverty cannot crush one's ambition." Hello everyone, I'm Tang Neng Shuo Beijing. The hutong auntie said: "My son is 47, and to this day he still doesn't have a partner." Him...

He was dragged down by the kid. Why do I say that? Hurry up and listen along with me.

Right now I've encountered too many things. My life right now is just like this. My foot is swollen, look at it, oh dear, swollen even worse. It was from stepping on the stairs and falling, fell once and sprained it, fell twice. Oh. Oh dear, you really must be careful. I am careful, but no matter how careful I am, it doesn't help. I stood on the stairs, fell, and the whole thing just slid down. Oh dear, sprained my foot. I even told their... whatever, their boss, that these stairs shouldn't be here, you know? They trip up old people, so they shouldn't be here. I have no income, no source of livelihood. I don't have a job, no job, and I don't even have low-income social security (dibao). Then people would say, people say you have a son—look, this son is all alone now, mm, nothing left! Oh my, look, look, he's alone, these past six months.

Ah.

That half of yours, half of it, finished. Although I... I won't talk about it, but this foot of mine started around October 1st, my ears can't hear well again, my eyes aren't good either, but lately I can walk a bit. Those two days I couldn't walk at all. People said, your son earns a lot, so when averaged out, you get nothing. Up to now, my son is 47.

Ah.

Still no partner, no partner. Are you anxious or not? Then you tell me, am I anxious? Back then I was anxious, and now I'm still anxious. What's the point of being anxious all day? Oh dear, being anxious all day won't settle the child down either, will it?

Mm.

I just finished selling grapes, sold nine yuan worth, mm, and another three yuan worth. I do it all by myself, one thing after another, and everyone says: "Go work a shift, work a shift and they'll give you 400 yuan."

Mm.

I can't take that frustration, I really can't take that frustration. No, I'm already 76.

Mm.

Is the child's problem solved or not? The child is also in a tough spot. Right, the child, if I don't have a pension/wage, do I need money or not? Don't get sick, don't get sick; if you get sick, we can't afford to go to the hospital. First, this; second, this child, uh, that... I... one day, several days, 400,000. Mm, right, understood. Yes, me going to a nursing home, I'm willing to go. What about the money? Mm, right, isn't that the problem? Are you going to make the child pay, or who? I also told the community committee.

Mm.

I went to the community committee, and I said... the community committee also said: "If you don't have money to go to kindergarten, you can use your roof." My son lives right on the street.

Big tech companies can't hold on anymore either. The biggest problem now is no longer finding a job! Right?

Ah! I don't eat your food, I don't drink your water, Duobao... I just sold three yuan worth, just sold three yuan worth, he said, ah, sold, I sold three three yuan worth, ah, who can I talk to? Go to the subdistrict office? No, I won't go, I won't go. Even when my spouse died I didn't go to them. Let me tell you, I just endured it like this. Then I... mm, if... my ribs hurt so severely, but I still didn't go to the subdistrict office. Oh dear, my foot couldn't touch the ground, and in the end I didn't dare tell my son either.

Oh dear.

Ah! I didn't dare, so afraid, right? Feeling sorry for him. This... speaking of here, my nose fell right here and bled, gushing blood, but I didn't tell him either.

There is.

I just didn't say anything. I take responsibility for what I do; a person may be poor, but poverty cannot crush one's ambition. What I have to say I say here with you guys, not in front of my son's face. Some mantou (steamed buns) people threw away, left on the side, I picked them up and brought them home; some vegetables I picked up and brought home—I basically don't buy vegetables, no money to buy vegetables. This table... at most, at most, sometimes I sell five or six hundred yuan worth.

That's not much either. No matter how much, don't you still have to eat?

No such thing, sometimes it connects, sometimes it connects. You, you, you, look at this, now it's gone down a lot.

Mm.

It's turned pale white now; originally it was swollen so thick! Oh dear, couldn't wear shoes! But I still had to untie it. Today I calculated, today all day I sold thirty... thirty-three yuan worth. Oh dear, not earning enough.

Barely enough.

Don't eat so well, go see my great-grandfather. You give me some money, I give you some money. I'm not that... I'm not that kind of person. You said so last time too, go back in a bit. Ah, it's too cold, what? Me? It's still early for me to go back, I won't go back until eight o'clock. Today it's cold, outside it's too cold. Should throw... throw away stuff! Ah, Mom will pick up some more!

Mm.

I... I'd better... pick up some more to see! Pick up some, whether to sell tomorrow or at night.

Qiqi Baba TALK "Refreshing the Mind 820" 20261105

Hey, alright.

Goodbye, auntie! Please drop by more often. Hey, alright, alright, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, okay.

Many people living in those very old siheyuan, or in those kinds of hutongs, are in this situation. Uh, people say that hutongs within the Second Ring Road are indeed valuable, and that siheyuan are, but that's just a number on paper. Living inside them, I really feel it's not even as good as the urban villages in many other cities. And this isn't just one or two families; it's many, many of them. They call themselves old Beijingers, but I actually think they are a bit like the 'Beijing drifters' of the city. Alright, that is all for this episode. I really hope to chat with everyone in real-time during the live streams, so I hope friends will join the membership channel. I hope more and more new friends, as well as old ones, will come and join us! That's it for this episode, see you next time.