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While Americans worry about inflation and affordability, Chinese being troubled deflation and economic downturn.
Come and experience Chinese consumer confidence Today, visit Beijing Toy dealer Gao Lan’s frowning horse plush doll for the Year of the Horse is about to be sold out.
A factory worker caused a stir in China and became known as the “crying horse” after he mistakenly sewed a smile on a toy backwards, state media reported.
“Right now, our society is under a lot of pressure,” Gao said. “The crying horse reflects what people are feeling inside.”
The popularity of horses is just one sign of the gloomy mood in Chinese society that appears to be growing as the economy slows and people become uncertain about the future.
The sight of two “crying horse” stuffed animals in a New Year celebration supplies store in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province, on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, which began when a factory worker mistakenly turned the mouthpiece upside down, became an overnight sensation.
Long Wei|Special China|Future Publishing|Getty Images
Another measure of depression is the virality of apps Are you dead? Or “Xilime” in Chinese.
In early January, an app from Beijing-based startup Moonscape Technologies topped the charts. appleChinese app store. The app is designed to give people living alone peace of mind that if they die, someone will notice.
Co-founder Ian Lü told CNBC that all the founders had lived alone in big cities in China and understood the need to communicate with others.
“We realized that if anything happened to us, no one would know. So we created the app to let users alert their family or friends,” Lui said in an interview.
How it works is you use the app to check in every day. If 48 hours pass without you pressing the big green button on the screen, the app will send an email to your emergency contact.
The service costs 8 yuan ($1.15) per month.
Despite this demand, Are You Dead? 》The app is facing its own demise as the government seems sensitive to this morbid prospect.
Shortly after its launch, the app’s name drew criticism from state media and its founder changed its name to Demumu. However, the app has disappeared from the App Store.
In this photo illustration, the logo of the Demumu app is shown on a smartphone screen in Suqian, Jiangsu province, China, January 14, 2026.
Visual CG | Visual China Group | Getty Images
Apple told CNBC that China’s cybersecurity regulator ordered the app to be removed because it failed to comply with rules to “observe public order and good morals.”
Apple added in a statement: “We comply with the laws of the countries in which we operate… The app remains available for download in all other storefronts where it appears.”
As China enters an aging society, more and more elderly people live alone. Many young people who move to cities for work have no siblings or partners.
China’s marriage rate in 2024 will hit a 45-year low of 4.3%.
In China, one in six households is a single person, which is one of the reasons for dining in restaurants McDonald’s has become popular.
Seating with partitions between seats so people can have privacy when dining alone is nothing new. However, their pictures went viral on social media. The design is seen as a nod to the growing number of Chinese people living alone.
It is against this backdrop of loneliness and anxiety that the crying horse emerges.
“There are a lot of bitter and unfair feelings,” said Xiaojuan, a customer at Gao Toy Store. “If you can’t cry loud enough, this horse can cry for you.”
