Chinese Young Adults Embrace Raising Bricks as Low-Cost Alternative to Pets and Children

A new hobby is spreading among young adults in China who want companionship without the cost or effort of keeping a pet or raising a child: growing moss on bricks. Participants call themselves "brick parents" and refer to their mossy blocks as "brick babies."

Bricks lack the warmth of a cat or the emotional weight of parenthood, but they cost almost nothing. "No cats, no dating, I started raising a brick," one brick parent wrote on social media.

The routine is simpler than caring for a house plant. Owners spray the brick with water a few times a day and wait for moss spores already floating in the air to settle and grow. One Chinese media article described the bricks as "practically immortal." It said that if the owner forgets to water, the moss goes dormant, and when watering resumes, the greenery returns.

A hashtag tied to the trend has drawn more than 5m views on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. Chinese commentators link the fad to young people seeking low-effort ways to find meaning in life. One brick parent told Chinese media the hobby delivered "a sense of accomplishment no less than completing a long-term project."

On Xiaohongshu, an Instagram-like platform also known as Rednote, one user shared a photo of a rusty-coloured brick baby. The post said there was "no output required, no KPIs to hit, no need to beg it to bloom [and] no comparing its growth with others." Another user wrote that friends had asked whether they had lost their mind, and that their reply was: "I'm just starting to raise a brick." The same user described the brick as offering a sense of certainty that feels more grounded than many relationships, calling it "zero-energy emotional companionship" that meets the need for company without requiring love in return.

The trend arrives as many young Chinese people move away from traditional social expectations, including having children and working long hours in demanding jobs, assuming they can find work at all. Official statistics show nearly one in five people aged 16 to 24, excluding students, are unemployed. Some estimates put the figure much higher.

China's birthrate is in stubborn decline and fell to a record low last year. After years in an intensely competitive education system, many young people face a sluggish job market and are choosing to leave the rat race. Instead they pursue "lying flat," a low-effort, low-stress lifestyle that suits brick raising well.

The hobby has become popular enough that Chinese media have begun warning about health risks. Cultivating moss can encourage the spread of mould, and some brick parents have reportedly complained of itchy eyes and a runny nose.

Xuedong Li, a retired moss professor at Beijing's Capital Normal University, urged enthusiasts to keep their mossy bricks in an enclosed environment. "It is best to wear disposable gloves and a mask during handling to reduce spore inhalation and skin contact," Li told Chinese media.