Solo dining and no talking, please

Separately safe: Cubicles separate workers during mealtime in the canteen at a factory in Yantai city, Shandong province. — AP

IT was lunchtime and the canteen of a company in Beijing was almost full with employees. But the place was eerily quiet.

Diners sat facing only one direction and were hastily putting food into their mouths. They didn’t talk to their colleagues at all.