Chinese youth embrace pun culture in the workplace

A new trend is sweeping social media: growing hydroponic bananas in the office. Unlike traditional potted plants, these small, green banana plants with sturdy stalks and 3 to 5 leaves, which near 20 to 50 mini bananas, can simply be placed in a water bottle. In just 10 to 15 days, the bananas ripen and are ready to eat. Young people have embraced the pun culture related to "banana green," using it as a metaphor for "managing anxiety" (禁止蕉绿). As the bananas turn from green to yellow, it symbolizes "anxiety dissipating." There are over 370,000 posts around this topic on Xiaohongshu/RED.

People share their experiences of growing bananas in the office. Images: Xiaohongshu @Yesem— @携程旅游潘 @七点酱

Growing hydroponic bananas in the office not only provides a fun snack but also brings colleagues together. The bananas naturally become a topic of conversation, with coworkers stopping by to ask about them. They even write their names on the bananas to reserve them and share the ripe fruit later. Some even make wishes on the bananas.

Coworkers mark the unripe bananas with their names using markers to reserve them. When bananas ripen, they can share and enjoy them together. Images: Xiaohongshu @花椒又油油油—

There are many other creative pun-based produce items similar to the "banana green." Alongside "banana green," you can find a hydroponic pineapple called "Dynamic Light Pineapple (动感光菠)" meaning giving people energy. Other examples include rapeseed flowers with a pun of "Wealth Flowers (有财花)," and lychee with a pun of "Stay Clam (保持“荔枝”)," Cherry tomatoes with a pun of "Increasing Salary (薪水“番番”)," and small pumpkins meaning "No Obstacles(万事不“南”)." These playful cultural references breathe new life into these fruit and vegetables, making them popular on office desks and loved by workers.

Growing pineapple and rapeseed flowers in the office desk. Images: Xiaohongshu@momo @两个人不上班-废柴喵

Growing cheery tomatoes and lychee in the office desk. Images: Xiaohongshu @坡坡 @AJIMA

Purchasing and enjoying these humorously punned fruits and vegetables can offer office workers a psychological buffer against anxiety, meeting emotional needs. This not only showcases young people's self-regulation capabilities for better mental health, but also reveals their pursuit of a higher quality of life.