Overview
- A late‑April job ad by farm owner Zuo Xiaoyong seeking two shepherds drew roughly 59 million views on Weibo and more than 700 applications from white‑collar staff, factory workers and recent graduates.
- Zuo offered 8,000 yuan a month plus housing and groceries to manage 3,000 sheep on a 2,000‑hectare pasture and endure winters below −30°C, and he ultimately hired four people — two experienced couples — while keeping about 40 couples on a shortlist.
- Applicants described exhaustion, heavy debt and gruelling factory shifts as reasons for applying, with one worker citing 13‑plus hour days and blistered hands as common conditions pushing people out of urban jobs.
- Economists say the response reflects rising underemployment, stagnant private‑sector pay and the spread of age bias known as the 'curse of 35', and they warn competition could worsen as a record 12.7 million graduates enter the market and AI and cost pressures squeeze employers.
- The episode has become a public symbol of wider labour stress in China and may signal more workers seeking nontraditional or lower‑density roles if urban jobs remain low paid and high pressure.