Bare but better

When many renters search for furnished apartments, a growing number are looking for the opposite — preferring unfurnished spaces they can decorate themselves.

On social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin, users frequently share "before-and-after" transformations of their rentals.

While move-in-ready units packed with furniture offer convenience, they also come with drawbacks, such as worn-out furniture, limited storage space, or higher rental prices.

Furnishing a space on one's own, by contrast, allows renters to choose items and styles that match their personal needs and tastes. Some look for shelves or cabinets sturdy enough to support appliances like a coffee machine. Others design their spaces with their pets in mind, adding features such as cat climbing frames or dog beds.

For many young people today, renting is no longer just a temporary stop. By selecting and arranging their own furniture, they create a sense of belonging — even in a place they do not own.

"It feels warm seeing that everything in the apartment was chosen and arranged by me," Jelly (pseudonym), a young city dweller in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, told Oh! Youth, a lifestyle media outlet.

She added that on snowy or windy nights, she enjoys curling up in bed under the soft glow of her bedside lamp, wrapped in the black bedding she picked herself, listening to her two cats purr — a simple moment that makes the rented space feel like home.

Chasing colors

When you grow too familiar with the city you live in, it's easy to overlook the scenery during your daily walks. But what if your next stroll came with a small twist — following a specific color as your guide?

This idea, known as a "color walk", has recently gained popularity on social media both in China and abroad. Participants choose a single color and challenge themselves to spot objects, buildings, and scenery in that hue along the way.

As the trend spreads, many netizens have begun sharing photos online, while some cities have released color-walk guides for residents.

In Shenzhen, Guangdong province, for example, those searching for pink might find bougainvillea in Shenzhen International Garden and Flower Expo Park, or trumpet-shaped flowers along parks and roads. In Yichang, Hubei province, nearly 40,000 square meters of rapeseed blossoms form a bright yellow sea beneath the blue sky.

But beyond the colors themselves, this simple activity may also lead to unexpected discoveries. "After a whole day of color walking, the world felt brand new," one netizen wrote on Sina Weibo. "Places I used to overlook suddenly seemed worth noticing — a yellow bicycle under a tree, or a yellow taxi parked behind a house."

Sometimes, all it takes is a single color to turn an ordinary walk into a small act of rediscovery.