Selling crystals and coffee: China's students run side gigs from dorm rooms

They test out business ideas with little risk or cost amid high youth unemployment

- Michelle Ng

BEIJING - Over the weekend, a queue of around 10 to 15 students waited patiently for their turn to enter the newest "shop" on campus - dormitory room 403 at Qingdao University of Science and Technology in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong.

Once in the six-bed dorm room, they headed to a carefully decorated table in the narrow space between two bunk beds to pick their preferred crystals to be strung into a bracelet or necklace.

It was the first day of business for first-year master's student Wang Rui, 22, and her five roommates, who converted their shared dorm room into a "shop" selling crystals by pooling around 3,000 yuan (S$560) in capital to get their small business rolling.

They are among a small but growing group of Chinese students hustling for work experience while juggling school by getting creative with what they can sell or the services they can offer out of their dorm rooms.

Flowers, snacks, cut fruit, nail art and even a printing "shop" for lazy students who cannot be bothered to walk to the bookshop at the other end of the campus - these are some examples of dorm-based businesses sprouting up across Chinese universities and vocational colleges in recent years.

At a time when China's economic malaise has caused youth unemployment to remain high and many youth are concerned about their employment prospects, this small group of young entrepreneurs are hoping to get a leg-up by leaning into the hustle culture even before they graduate.

On Chinese social media platforms, there are thousands of posts tagged "dormitory entrepreneurship". Some posts have more than 32,000 likes and a lively comment section where young people trade tips and seek advice on starting similar ventures.