Regular renting has become a modern ritual for Lin Rong, a young professional in Shenzhen, a coastal city in Guangdong Province. Every couple of weeks, with a few taps on his smartphone, he has a DJI drone delivered to his door. When he sets off for the coast on the weekend, he takes the rented hardware along. For less than 100 yuan ($14) each time, the sky is his to photograph.

The arrangement is made after a careful comparison between the cost of purchasing and renting the equipment. To Lin, the rent represents a mere 2 percent of its retail cost, a much lighter burden than owning it long term. He has been burdened by this kind of "permanent" commitment before: An action camera he once bought now sits at home, a sleek, expensive reminder of a hobby that lasted exactly two outings. Possession, he has concluded, is a burden.

To use, not to own 

Lin is not an outlier. In late January, newspaper China Youth Daily surveyed about 1,300 people. More than three quarters said they now prefer renting over buying—choosing flexibility instead of permanent ownership. Digital devices and outdoor gear were the most rented items, accounting for 42.5 percent and 38.9 percent of rentals, respectively.

Zhu Di, a researcher at the Institute of Sociology, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, views this as a calculated departure from the traditional obsession with owning. "It is a more mature, perhaps more cynical, pragmatism," Zhu told China Youth Daily. "This generation is not just saving money; they are rewriting the rules of the marketplace to fit a life that refuses to be weighed down."

The wave of renting has swept across the country. In Wuhan, Hubei Province, Cheng Xinyuan, a skier in her late 20s, has largely stopped buying her own gear. A casual athlete, the logistics of the sport—bulky boots and wax-slicked boards—are now easier to manage thanks to improved rental kiosks at resorts. Moreover, "I live in a small apartment," she told China National Radio (CNR). "I don't have the space to store these things." Renting, she said, lets her enjoy the sport without cluttering her home—a practical solution for something she uses only occasionally.

Further west, in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, Yan Ruyue has taken the same approach with children's items. For three years, this mother in her early 30s has rented toys for her child rather than buying them. The high-end brands that once demanded a small fortune are now transient guests in her home. "Renting isn't just cost-effective," Yan told CNR. "It offers a selection and a quality we couldn't otherwise afford."

In the wedding markets of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, the custom-tailored suit and the bespoke gown—once considered essential purchases for a marriage—are increasingly being rented. A local bridal shop owner, a veteran of the trade for over a decade, recently told newspaper Shaoxing Daily that her business has reached a tipping point. During the peak frenzy of the National Day holiday on October 1-8 last year, rental orders accounted for 99 percent of her transactions. The romance of "forever" is being balanced against the reality of the price tag. As the shop owner puts it, her clients can secure a high-end experience for less than a third of the cost of ownership—so they choose to own the memory instead of the garment.

In Nanchang, capital city of Jiangxi Province, a man who goes by the name A Bing oversees a local camping club, where the rental is no longer a solitary transaction for a piece of nylon or a fiberglass board; it is a bundled entry into a lifestyle. A customer doesn't just rent a paddleboard; they book the coach to stay upright on it. Those joining the club's organized treks can opt for "scenario packages"—self-inflating tents, portable stoves, and the various tactical ephemera of the wilderness—all provided as a temporary kit for a weekend's escape. It is a concierge approach to the outdoors, designed for a consumer who wants the experience of the wild without the clutter in the garage.

Architecture of the market 

This shift from owning to renting has been fueled by the rise of specialized online platforms and a nationwide credit system. Wang Liang, an entrepreneur who once ran a computer equipment leasing business in Hefei, Anhui Province, saw the potential of online rental business early on. In 2020, he launched an online rental platform that standardized product listings and introduced a "deposit-free" system powered by tech giant Alibaba's Alipay's Sesame Credit, a widely used social credit mechanism, he told China Newsweek magazine.

The impact was immediate. The credit-based model lowered the entry barrier for renters. Suddenly, students could rent professional cameras for graduation photos, travelers could pick up outdoor gear without paying hefty deposits, and tech enthusiasts could try out the latest gadgets at minimal risk.

Wang's platform hosts a growing number of traditional leasing businesses that have shifted their focus from selling to renting, and the variety of rentable items is exploding. The range of renters has also broadened.

The emergence of rental platforms and a "credit-based" economy has stripped some friction from the rental market.

Yet this shift toward the ephemeral is not without its anxieties. It has hit the inevitable snags of a rapid expansion: opaque rental agreements, lopsided compensation disputes over a scratched lens or a torn tent, and poor after-sales service.

Xiong Xing, an associate professor at the School of Economics at Chongqing Technology and Business University, argues that the infrastructure of trust hasn't yet caught up with the speed of the market. "The government, the platforms and the enterprises need to work together to standardize this market," Xiong told newspaper People's Daily. He envisions a more transparent ecosystem where product inspections are rigorous and agreements are written in prose that doesn't require a law degree to decipher.

Despite these growing pains, the underlying shift feels permanent. For the young professionals in Shenzhen, the mothers in Xi'an and the weekenders in Nanchang, the math of modern life is being recalibrated. "Renting isn't just about saving money," Xiong said. "It's about living lighter—having the freedom to try new things without being tied down by possessions."

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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