Young Chinese adopt self-imagined "plots" to save money

"Saving money in virtual plots" is a recent trend among Chinese youth, who simulate various life scenarios involving romance, adventure, etc.

The main task is to raise funds for the fictional protagonist and ultimately deposit those funds into their real-life bank accounts.

Compared with the conventional way of saving, this practice requires long-term efforts to conceive suitable plots.

For example, a woman named Xiao Ding pretended she was pregnant in September. Since pregnancy-testing products would cost 30 yuan (about $4.17), she saved 30 yuan.

So far, Xiao Ding has saved 3,850 yuan (about $535.78) by “pretending to raise a child” and accomplished her financial goals in a fun and easy way.

Duowen imagined she raised a little hamster, Yun Zai. During online payments, she always asks herself, “After trying to save for so long, do you really want to spend all of Yun Zai’s money?”

“Saving money in virtual plots” resembles gameplay that makes a mundane process more interesting. “It is not just to save, but also to make life happier,” Duowen said.

Ding witnessed the hardships of regular saving as experienced by her mother.

“My mom deposited money in a bank every month but was always strict on spending it. This way of saving money is too difficult for me to accept. In contrast, I can make myself happy and save money by creating plots," she said.

Shu Ming is an insurance broker. She said the country’s current aging population and pay-as-you-go social security system have driven some youth to face and plan for their retirement.

The seemingly monotonous and childish money-saving trend has helped young grow more thrifty when it comes to savings.