For Chinese millennials, despondency has a brand name

Writer Zhao Zengliang attends a book presentation and discussion at the Sisyphe bookstore in Beijing, China, August 4, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese millennials with a dim view of their career and marriage prospects can wallow in despair with a range of teas such as “achieved-absolutely-nothing black tea”, and “my-ex's-life-is-better-than-mine fruit tea”.

While the drink names at the Sung chain of tea stalls are tongue-in-cheek, the sentiment they reflect is serious: a significant number of young Chinese with high expectations have become discouraged and embrace an attitude known on social media as "sang", after a Chinese character associated with the word "funeral" that describes being dispirited.