From assembling tiny fuse beads and shaping modeling clay to crocheting, young people in China are increasingly devoting both time and money to hands-on activities, offering a tangible sense of certainty in their lives.

"These activities transform the virtual into something concrete, resonating with our deep longing for certainty and tangible experiences in an age shaped by the digital world," said Zhou Yuwei, a 21-year-old craft enthusiast in Beijing.

In Beijing, handicraft stores have become popular leisure destinations. Offering DIY experiences such as pottery, fused bead crafts, perfume blending and glass fusing, these shops are often arranged like classrooms, with rows of tables and chairs surrounded by tools and completed pieces on display.

Customers spend hours meticulously placing hundreds of tiny plastic beads onto pegboards and then using an iron to fuse them into finished creations.

Cui Yichen, 26, has worked at a Beijing DIY store for two years and has noticed a steady increase in customers in recent months.

"Handicraft activities are a good way to relax," Cui said. "After work or school, people come here to unwind. They can focus on small crafts without overthinking."

The growing enthusiasm is also evident online. Social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, ranked handicrafts as one of the top three trends on its platform in 2025. The most popular craft-related hobbies include fuse beads, crocheting and clay art.

On RedNote, creators at home and abroad share their handmade pieces and step-by-step tutorials. Colorful strands of yarn are transformed into patterned bags, garments and toys using intricate crochet techniques. British diver Tom Daley, well-known for his passion for knitting and crochet, has also posted his work on the platform, inspiring many users to showcase their own creations.

Super-light clay has also become increasingly popular. Soft and easy to mold by hand, it can be shaped into fridge magnets, miniature figurines and other decorative items.

Creativity, security

According to a RedNote report, these small creative activities provide a sense of security and reassurance that effort leads to visible rewards, helping people find tangible joy amid uncertainty.

In particular, fuse bead crafts, or pindou, have gained remarkable traction. The topic has attracted more than 8.8 billion views on Red-Note, and related videos on Douyin — the Chinese version of TikTok — have garnered tens of billions of views. On the e-commerce platform Taobao, searches for fuse bead-related products increased by nearly 500 percent year-on-year.

The activity, often known overseas as perler beads, is typically marketed as a children's craft toy. Adam Gomez, a 21-year-old from the United States, shared his original perler bead designs on RedNote, where he connects and exchanges ideas with other creators.

"Most of our customers come specifically to make fuse bead crafts, and they are usually between 12 and 25 years old," said Cui, the Beijing DIY store staff member. She noted that the trend gained momentum at the end of 2024 when fans of the popular Chinese drama series Love Game in Eastern Fantasy started creating themed designs with fused beads.

"As the designs have become more diverse and elaborate, the activity has attracted a broader range of people," she added. Trending social media posts now feature designs ranging from popular anime, comics and games characters to well-known cultural and entertainment franchises. For example, some have started using fuse beads to create pixel-style portraits of Olympic skiing medalist Gu Ailing.

Though the technique is easy to learn, placing each bead onto a pegboard requires patience. Handicraft stores typically charge around 100 yuan ($14.5) for a whole-day session, during which customers can complete as many pieces as they like.

Hao Yike, an 18-year-old college student in Beijing, sees the appeal in the pace itself.

"Assembling fuse beads requires a great deal of patience and time, and its slowness is a form of resistance to an era obsessed with efficiency and instant results," Hao said.

Zhou said that when she assembles fuse beads, she temporarily forgets the pressures of schoolwork and social life as the activity requires intense concentration."You have to carefully count how many you need to place because it's very easy to misalign them," she added.

Beyond stress relief, fuse bead crafting is relatively affordable. Many enthusiasts now make them at home, purchasing materials online. A set of 24 colors, containing roughly 500 beads of 2.6 millimeters per color, typically sells for between 30 and 50 yuan.

Taobao ranked fuse beads among its top 10 products for 2025, describing the trend as a reflection of young people's evolving lifestyles. According to Moojing Market Intelligence, a market research and consumer insights service provider headquartered in Beijing, total fuse bead sales reached 290 million yuan from January to December, marking an almost ninefold year-on-year increase.

Li Qianya contributed to this story.

lishangyi@chinadaily.com.cn