Hooked on Serenity

China's urban youths are recasting fishing， an ancient activityassociatedwithretirees， into modern struggles and philosophies

當釣魚成為年輕人的精神解藥

O adrzsis outfromhisofficeduringlunchbreakwith acollapsible fishing rod. The 3O-year-old， whoworksasanalgorithmresearcher，describesthese piecemealstolenmomentsashismentalresetbutton.

\"Idon'tmeditate-Ifish，\"Wupronounces， watchinghisfloatbobinthemoat.

Fishing，once seen asa pastime for retired men in buckethats，hassurgedin popularityamongChina's stressedurbanyouthforitsccessibility，flexibilityand supposed mental healingpowers.Datafromthe China Angling Association， a nonprofit social group founded in 2012，finds that over45 percent of the country's 16O million fishing enthusiasts areaged25to44.Purchasesrelated tofishing equipmentmadebycustomersunder26nearly quadrupled from 2020 to 2023， according to e-commercesiteJD Sports.

Lu Kewen， a 21-year-old student from Jiaxing Zhejiang province，just joined the fishing craze seven months ago.She recalls how sitting by thewaterhelpedcalm heranxiousbehaviors， like scratching her head and playing with her hair.\"Watching the float quietsmy mind，\" she tells TWOC.\"I just stareat the colorful marker bobbingonthewaterandletmymindwander.\"

Fishinghasbecomeanunlikely formof therapy for thisanxiety-prone student juggling finalsand internships.Asachild，Lu'sfirstand onlyfishingtripwascutshortbyabrokenrod \"Watching the float quiets my mind.I just stare at the colorful marker bobbing on the water and let my mind wander.\"

anda father uninterestedin taking her out， sosheneverfishedagainuntilhernew girlfriend—aseasonedanglerandpatient teacher—unpackedastarterkitonthebanks ofacreek in Hangzhou.“She showed me howtohold therodproperly，howtoadjust theangleandcasttheline，andhowtofollow the flow of the float instead of constantly checking myphone，\"Lu says.The lessons stuck.

Asshe prepares for her final yearof university and the pressures of adult life，Luplans to continue fishing with a compact micro-gear that fits easily between classes and internships.“You can go anywhere with these little packs，” she explains， already envisioning future outings.

Micro-fishing，or xiaowudiao （小物釣），isa specialized angling practice focused on catching small fish species using ultra-lightweight tackle and delicate techniques.Originating fromJapan， it has gained popularity among beginners， especially young women，due to its light equipment and novice-friendly experience.

“I found the equipment very easy to handle， time-saving，and flexible，so I decided to buyin，” saysYuWenxi，anovice fisherand 35-year-old founder of a high-end wedding-planning startup in Beijing. Her hectic routine and sedentary life give her little opportunity to go outdoors or enjoy the sun.Ata friend’s invitation to go microfishing a year ago，she immediately fellinlove with the easy sport.

Despite zero fishing experience and little talent for outdoor sports，Yu feels quite confident about her skills： “You don't need to learn any techniques.

Jiang's straight hook became a metaphorfor attracting the Willing， rather than coercing the reluctant. As the old saving goes， “When Lord Jiang fishes， the rwilling will always bite.\"

The equipment isa very full set.I think this becomes the main reason for attracting many girls to the sport.”Accordingto Yu，Beijingis full of waterways，bigandsmall，and sherarelyleaves withoutany catch.Shenow carriesa set of microgearinher purse so she can castanytime and anywhere shewants.

The flexibility of fishing has helped many enthusiastsnavigatean efficient work-life balancing act across the city’s concrete jungles and water labyrinths.For Wu，who started fishing asa child， the pastime has become his antidote to digital fatigue.Hisapproach is methodical：

shallow-water angling in urban waterways during short work breaks，where he can catch small fry; and weekend expeditions to reservoirs on the city outskirts for more common species like carp orcatfish.If there's time，he would spenda few days camping neara reservoir to prolong his time in nature.

Fishing runs deep in China's cultural consciousness，more thanmere sport or sustenance. Over2，OoO yearsago， the Daoist sage Zhuangzi （莊子）delivered hiswell-known debate on the happinessof fishbytheHaoRiver.Around the sameperiod，thestrategistJiang Ziya （姜子牙） spentabout lO years fishing without bait by the Wei River before finally meeting his patron， the futureKingWen of Zhou.Jiang'sstraighthook became a metaphor for attracting the wiling， rather than coercing the reluctant.As the old saying goes，“WhenLordJiang fishes， the willing will alwaysbite.\"

These storiesreveal fishing's dual role in Chinese tradition： both as apractical skill and a profound philosophy. In the Tang dynasty （618-907）， frustratedscholarsanddemotedofficialsused angling to dispel sorrow and escape worldly troubles.Themost famous exampleis“Snow on the River（《江雪》），”written by poet-official Liu Zongyuan（柳宗元） during his exile：

千山鳥飛絕，萬徑人蹤滅。

孤舟蓑笠翁，獨釣寒江雪。 Over a thousand mountains，no birds in flight;

Ontenthousand paths，no traceof humansinsight.

A lone boat，an old man in a straw cloak and hat;

Fishesalone inthe cold river snow.

Celebrated across generations as a masterpiece of fishing literature， the poem depicts a scene—an emptyworld frozenin silence，anoldfisherman steadfastly angling in solitude-that metaphorically reflects the poet’sunyielding integrity evenafter his political downfall. The“lonely old man ina straw hat” thus became the iconic image of a fisherman.

By the Song dynasty （960-1279），the spiritual essence of fishing had become deeply intertwined with Daoist philosophy， particularly the concept ofwuwei（無為），or“non-action.\"Rather than passivity，itadvocates effortlessaction，aligningwith the natural flow of the universe instead of forcing outcomes through struggle. Whether serving in court or living in seclusion， scholar-officials embraced fishingasa symbolof theirideals一 harmonywithnature，freedom from societal constraints，and moral purity.

An illustration of Liu Zongyuan's\"Snow on the River，\"painted by SongXu [宋旭]，a Ming dynasty[1368-1644]monk-artistactive in the16th and17th centuries [VCG]

Today， the marriage of ancient philosophy with modern psychology manifests across many fishing styles.Cao Lei，a32-year-old freelance artist，is afanof lure fishing，or luya （路亞）.A technique popularized by Gen Z，lure fishing uses artificial baits to mimic prey， emphasizing continuous casting and retrieval to attract predatory fish.Cao calls the act“gu-fishing，”inspired by the Chinese setphrase 沽名釣譽（gumingdiaoyu，literally“to fish for praise”—centering on the calculated， performative，and proactive pursuit of honor. “Each castand search in an unknown waterway is like a treasure-hunting experience. The thrill got a lot of men like me hooked，” says Cao，whose Xiaohongshu （RedNote） account documents fishing expeditions from Moscow to Osaka and attracts comments worldwide. He recounts impressing locals，and even other Chinese abroad，by fishing near well-known tourist destinations around the world，and offers tipsand techniquesin his Xiaohongshu posts.“I think that when you travel where it's beautiful and scenic， it would bea pity if you only take photos.Fishing is a really good way to explore the local environment and make friends.\"

Given the massive reward and emotional roller-coasterride，fishing canbecomeaddictive， withahiddendarkside.Caoremembersthat thefirst yearhestarted fishing，he suffered from sleep deprivation due to the early hours， late nights，and long periods spent stationing by the water to get the best catch.Only through fatigue and burnout did he gradually learn to balance it with his regular fitness habit. Others， perhaps less-disciplined，have inspired an internet meme：the“Fisherdude（釣魚佬），”anintensely competitive， obsessiveanglerwhoneglectswork andfamilyto fish，and isdetermined to never return empty-handed—evenif theyhave to pick some wild vegetables，or“takea few gulps of watel before leaving.\"

“You can say that fishingis actually a form of gambling，but with very， verylow stakes，” says Wu. The intensity of focusand instant rewards of the sport forma positive feedback cycle，making it easyto gethooked.“Thelogic foraddictionis the same，like in the lottery.\"

The philosophical and scientific approach of younganglers sometimesputs theminacultural clash with the silver-haired menwho traditionally \"Ithinktheold-timers were genuinely surprised to see a woman with a rod，\" Yu recalls...They would come over to check ifshe'dbaitedherhook properly-only to walk away， confused， by her colorful and surprisingly effective micro-gear.

ruled China's fishing spots.“I think the oldtimerswere genuinely surprised to see a woman with a rod，’ Yu recalls of her early outings. They wouldcome overto checkif she'd baited her hook properly—only to walk away， confused，by hercolorful and surprisingly effective micro-gear.

Besidesthisclash of theoldand thenewand the transgressing of genderboundaries， the fun offishing also lies in the wisdom of sharing. One yearinto the sport， Yuhasnow joinedalocal girls' fishing group of some 3oo members，where theyregularly organize events via WeChat.Their favorite spot isBeijing's Liangma River，alongside local grandpas.Wu also regularly gives out his catches to the strolling grandpas in the park.

“Ancient Chinese literati didn't fish to eat，” says Cao，echoinga classical wisdom.“They fished to cultivate patience， to observe nature's rhythms，and toachieve thatperfectbalance between action and inaction.” That said， he occasionally runs into illegal poachers who fishusing electric nets，and this spurs himinto action：He waits until they're gone and quietly confiscates their equipment.

China has several regulations on civil fishing， includingbansinprotectedwaterwaysanda10- yearban onall productive fishing in the Yangtze River， issued in 2o2O.‘As longas these constraints are met，the impact of individuals' fishing activities on the environment is actually minimal，” Yang Guihong，associate professor of the School of Economicsamp;ManagementatBeijing Forestry University， tells TWOC.

InJune，adraftof anamendment to the FisheriesLawwasintroduced.Itaims to encourage recreational fishingactivitiesas a form of leisure by improving regulations andclearlydemarcating themfromindustrial fishing operations.

As the sun sets over the stretch of water by which the Mongols once built their empire，Wu packs his rods，puts on his hat，and nods goodbye to hisnew retiree friends.China's young urbanites are quietly rewriting the social contract of leisure， blending millennia-old philosophy with contemporaryrebellion.

Morethanjustatrend， thefishingrevival serves asacoping mechanism fora generation squeezed between ambition and exhaustion.“We're not ‘lying flat，””’ saysWu.“We're lying in wait.”