Beijing, Jun 15 (IANS): As millions of young people in China graduate from university this month, the traditional pictures of joyful students throwing their hats and gowns into the air have been replaced by photos of them lying on the ground or throwing their degree certificates into the bin, the media reported.

Some photos show students draping themselves over bridges or park benches in poses of dejection. In others, students lie face down on stairs or in grassy fields, The Guardian reported.

The pictures, which have been going viral on social media, allude to the fact that 11.6 million students are about to enter a difficult jobs market for young people. On Thursday youth unemployment hit a record high for the second consecutive month as the economy's post-Covid growth spurt faded.

The unemployment rate for Chinese people between the ages of 16 and 24 rose to 20.8 per cent, up from 20.4 per cent in April, the National Bureau of Statistics said, The Guardian reported.

University was once an elite pursuit, but in the past decade enrolment rates have increased as young people saw a degree as a ticket to a better job in China's competitive market. Between 2012 and 2022, the university enrolment rate rose from 30 per cent to 59.6 per cent, according to the ministry of education.

But rather than celebrating their degrees, many students now joke that their studies were a waste of time. One commenter on Douyin, a video-sharing platform, wrote: "I love this style of graduation photo, it's very much like my half-dead state of life."

Many of the photos echo the "lying flat" trend, the trope used by young Chinese people frustrated with the competition of modern life. Instead of struggling, they opt for "lying flat": not buying a house, not buying a car, not getting married and opting for a more passive, low-consumption lifestyle. Or, in the words of another Douyin user: "The next step to look forward to is retirement", The Guardian reported.