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White-collar workers going to great lengths for stress relief
Stressed out white-collar workers are scaling skyscrapers, camping out on rooftops, smashing up restaurants, pretending to be children and even visiting cemeteries in a bid to relieve the pressure of modern life.
As the country's economy continues to steam ahead, once popular forms of entertainment, such as karaoke, card games and even boxing bars, appear to be losing their appeal.
Consider the members of Shanghai's Cat Rain club. By day, this group of young women works executive jobs, but by night they climb buildings so they can spend the night on the roof.
"It's a good way to release our pressure. You feel relaxed when you're sitting on the roof, looking up to the sky and chatting with intimate friends," said Gong Ying, 25.
The stress of work is not just limited to people in Shanghai.
A recently opened restaurant in Beijing encourages customers to smash plates - as long as they are willing to pay to replace them.
Though there has been some debate about the extravagance of such services, some psychologists say the activity reflects the desire of some white-collar workers to vent their angst.
Some workers even appear eager to return to their childhoods. This May, hundreds of people took part in a festival in which adults pretended to be children. It was an adults-only event, and participants could read comics and eat sweets all day.
Scenic places such as parks and rivers can also help people relax and put things in perspective. But a cemetery?
Cemetery companies in Shanghai organized visits to local graveyards for stressed-out workers in March. The participants were taken to quiet spots in the cemetery where they could contemplate life and their futures.
Roof-camper Chen Bin, an IT marketing professional, said she had camped out on a rooftop about 30 times. When she's not sleeping out under the stars, she also has several other adrenalin-fueled interests, such as downhill racing and paragliding.
"Pressure may bring us distress, but it doesn't mean we can't find ways out," Chen says. "Life should be imaginative."
白领们越来越需要减轻压力。不堪重荷的白领正在卖力的爬着摩天大楼的楼梯，成群结队在屋顶上露营，拥挤在餐馆里，或是扮小孩，有些人甚至去墓园来释放现代生活的压力。
随着国家经济的不断发展，曾经风靡一时的娱乐项目如卡拉OK，牌类游戏包括酒吧变得没那么吸引了。
看看上海CAT RAIN CLUB里的会员。白天，这群佳丽是公司的主管，但是一入夜，她们爬上高楼，在屋顶渡过漫漫长夜。
“这是一种减轻压力的好方法。当你坐在屋顶上，看着天空，跟好朋友聊天，你会觉得全身放松。”25岁的Gong Ying说道。
上海以外工作的人们也感到了工作的压力。
在北京新开的一家餐馆鼓励顾客摔碟子——只要他们愿意支付换新碟子的费用。
尽管有人认为这项服务造成浪费，心理学家认为这种行为反应了白领们宣泄不满、焦躁情绪的欲望。
有些白领甚至希望回到童年。今年五月，成百上千的群众参加了大人扮儿童的一个活动。这项活动只允许成人参加，参加者可以整天地看漫画和吃糖。
人们在观赏公园、河流之类的风景区时能放松身心，尽情游览。但在墓园里面？
上海一间殡仪馆公司在三月为压力大的工人们组织了一次参观当地公墓的活动。参加者被带往到墓园里静谧的角落，在那里他们可以思考生命的意义和未来的计划。
“屋顶露营者”CHEN BIN，一名从事IT市场营销的专家，透露她已在屋顶露营约30次。当她不在星空下睡觉时，她还有其他能刺激其肾上腺激素的活动，像跑坡比赛和双人滑冰。
“压力让人沮丧，但并不代表我们没有解决的方法，”CHEN说，“生活应该是充满想象力的。”
