White-collar workers going to great lengths for stress relief
Stressed out white-collar workers are scaling skyscrapers, camping out on rooftops, smashing up restaurants, pretending to be children and even visiting cemeteries in a bid to relieve the pressure of modern life.
As the country's economy continues to steam ahead, once popular forms of entertainment, such as karaoke, card games and even boxing bars, appear to be losing their appeal.
Consider the members of Shanghai's Cat Rain club. By day, a group of young women do executive jobs, but by night they climb buildings so they can spend the night on the roof.
"It's a good way to release our pressure. You feel relaxed when you're sitting on the roof, looking up to the sky and chatting with intimate friends," said Gong Ying, 25.
The stress of work is not just limited to people in Shanghai.
A recently opened restaurant in Beijing encourages customers to smash plates - as long as they are willing to pay to replace them.
Though there has been some debate about the extravagance of such services, some psychologists say the activity reflects the desire of some white-collar workers to vent their angst.
Some workers even appear eager to return to their childhoods. This May, hundreds of people took part in a festival in which adults pretended to be children. It was an adults-only event, and participants could read comics and eat sweets all day.
Scenic places such as parks and rivers can also help people relax. But a cemetery?
Cemetery companies in Shanghai organized visits to local graveyards for stressed-out workers in March. The participants were taken to quiet spots in the cemetery where they could contemplate life and their futures.
Roof-camper Chen Bin, an IT marketing professional, said she had camped out on a rooftop about 30 times. When she's not sleeping out under the stars, she also has several other adrenalin-fueled interests, such as downhill racing and paragliding.
"Pressure may bring us distress, but it doesn't mean we can't find ways out," Chen says. "Life should be imaginative."
压力大的白领们正在用爬楼、露营屋顶、去发泄餐厅砸盘子、“扮嫩”、甚至游墓地的方式给自己减压。
随着中国经济的蒸蒸日上，卡拉OK、打牌以及拳击俱乐部等曾经流行的娱乐方式如今已失去吸引力。
在上海 的Cat Rain俱乐部，白天，一群年轻女孩做做行政工作；到了晚上，她们就爬到楼顶上去过夜。
25岁的宫颖说：“这是释放压力的好方法。当你坐在楼顶上，看看天空，和好朋友聊聊天，你会感到很放松。”
工作压力大的不仅是上海人。
近日在北京新开业的一家餐厅为顾客提供“砸盘子”发泄服务，砸碎的盘子由顾客买单。
尽管一些人争论这种服务太奢侈，但一些心理学家分析说，这种做法反映出一些白领人士想要发泄心中郁闷的愿望。
一些白领人士甚至想“还童”。今年五月，共有几百人参加了一个只允许成年人参加的“成人儿童节”。参加这一活动的人可以一整天都看漫画书、吃糖果。
公园、河流这样的景点也有助于人们减压。但墓地呢？
今年三月，上海陵园公司组织了一场白领减压墓地游活动。活动参与者被带到墓地中安静的地方，他们可以在那儿思考人生和自己的未来。
IT界营销人士陈斌就比较喜欢在楼顶上露营，她说，她已经在楼顶上露营了大约30次了。除此之外，她还有其它几个“刺激”的爱好，比如滑降和滑伞。
她说：“压力会导致情绪低落，但这并不是说没有办法来减压。生活应该有点想象力。”
Vocabulary:
scale : 攀登 |
