{
  "id": 16585084,
  "title": "‘Zero-energy companionship’: bizarre hobby takes seed among China’s stressed young adults",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/zero-energy-companionship-bizarre-hobby-takes-seed-among-chinas",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-26T09:47:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Guardian",
    "slug": "the-guardian",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/26/zero-energy-companionship-bizarre-hobby-takes-seed-among-chinas-stressed-young-adults"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Faced with a stagnant jobs market, many are spurning children or pets in favour of ‘raising bricks’ Chinese young adults looking for a cheaper, low-maintenance alternative to having pets or children have found an answer: raising bricks. Bricks may not be as cuddly as cats or as life-affirming as human offspring, but they also cost next to nothing. “No cats, no dating, I started raising a brick,”…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}