China's urban youth flock to 'social living rooms' for genuine offline connection

In Cheng Danni's "living room," guests gather to prepare surprises for friends celebrating their birthdays. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

One evening in May 2024, Li Bo, a man in his 30s, walked into Cheng Danni's "living room" for the first time and felt instantly at home. What stayed with him most was the magical sofa. The moment he sat down, he just wanted to fall asleep. For him, that sense of relaxation was really a sense of security.

As a startup founder trying to find his footing in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, he felt at home for the first time in a long while in a city far from his own.

After quitting her job in the tech industry, Cheng set out to create a "social living room" for office workers.

Home clubs and home bars have been springing up across China. At their core is a shared idea: building youth-centered social spaces that feel like a living room.

In recent years, new offline social spaces have reshaped how young people connect. These social living rooms draw them from all corners of the city to places where they can chat openly at English corners, pour out their worries or simply lose themselves in a lively party.

The people behind these spaces are usually young themselves. They created them after noticing a widening gap in genuine human connection among urban youth.

In these living rooms, young people can meet others beyond their usual circles and broaden their social networks.

"Our guests are mostly between 18 and 35," said Wang Shiyu, who runs the A-HA Living Room. The name is a nod to the Norwegian band A-ha, but also refers to the "aha moment" — that instant when something suddenly clicks. Wang hopes everyone who visits will leave with their own moment of clarity.

To make young people feel truly at home in a social living room, the first step is to remove the sense of distance.

"Our living room opens from 7 p.m. to midnight, and during the five hours, I barely touch my phone," Wang said. "Many of our guests are the same. They go the whole evening without checking messages. It's pretty incredible when you think about it."

Cheng said that without offline socializing, people's relationships will continue to shrink.

"Online, language gets inflated — everyone calls each other 'baby,' but offline, many people struggle to express themselves," she said. "Faced with that reality, I think creating a space where people can show up in person, talk to real people, share real feelings and build deeper connections is more important than ever."

Cheng hopes that deep conversations can create a space for sharing positive energy.

"I once hosted a 'compliment party' because I realized many people actually feel embarrassed to praise others," she said. "Through this event, I wanted everyone to express appreciation more courageously — to help people recognize their own strengths. Now, giving compliments has practically become the spiritual symbol of our living room. Even without a designated compliment segment, people naturally start praising each other."

"More than 70 percent of the people who join our events are introverts," said Tala, owner of Tt Club.

"They just take a bit longer to settle in," she added. "Over time, I realized that the key to running this 'living room' isn't hosting impressive events — it's connecting introverts with one another and helping them feel accepted."

Among the many programs Cheng runs, the "Deep Talk" session is one of the most popular. For her, the essence of deep conversation is "finding yourself."

For Liao Xinyu, interacting with strangers makes self-expression easier.

"Sometimes, because my friends and I know each other too well, I feel pressured when talking about certain things," she said. "But with strangers, since I assume we'll only meet once, I don't worry too much — and I end up expressing myself more honestly."

"In the past, I liked to solve my problems alone. Now, I want to hear perspectives from the outside world," Liao added. "Other people's worlds are always bigger than mine, and they might offer answers I never would have imagined. So, I started attending these events. After taking that first step, it felt like stepping into a whole new world."