At 9 pm, as the city slowly settled into silence, a young woman returned to her apartment, feeling drained. She opened the Xiaohongshu (RedNote) app, clicked on an account called "Lily's Emotional Tree Hole", and paid 60 yuan ($8.66) for a 30-minute listening service.
A few minutes later, a voice call began in the app's private chat. One voice belonged to a young person searching for an emotional outlet; the other was Li Xing, a recently retired middle school geography teacher who, as she puts it, is eager to "make a contribution in her later years".
There was no formal consultation room and no appointment required — just two strangers connected through the internet.
Scenes like this have become increasingly common in the digital age, with virtual "tree holes" emerging as essential platforms for addressing the emotional needs of Gen Z.
The term "tree hole" originally referred to a literal place where people could whisper secrets. Today, it has taken on a metaphorical meaning: someone who listens and safeguards private feelings.
From anonymous confession spaces on social media to apps offering paid listening services, and even independent "listeners" on platforms like Xiaohongshu, a market-oriented, lightweight emotional support network is gradually taking shape.
Liu Yuqi, a 23-year-old illustrator from Dalian, Liaoning province, is on a quest to find kindred spirits online.
Working from home, she has little social interaction and often feels lonely, craving emotional connection. She once tried a paid listening service, spending 300 yuan for a two-hour session. But the experience fell short of what she had hoped for, because the listener — perhaps in an effort to remain professional — seemed to avoid genuine empathy. Instead of the deep connection she longed for, she was left feeling unsatisfied.
So Liu began looking for a "mutual tree hole" partner — someone she could share with and listen to freely and equally.
She chose not to rely on traditional support systems such as family or close friends, partly because of generational gaps and partly because she didn't want to burden others with her emotions.
"Mutual selection and two-way sharing create a sense of equal value, without pressure," she explained.
In her view, the ideal "tree hole relationship" has four defining qualities: efficiency, safety, sincerity, and stability.
"Efficiency" means avoiding the exhausting rituals of real-world socializing. "Safety" involves clear boundaries, the freedom to withdraw at any time, and not prying into each other's personal lives. "Sincerity" refers to open communication without hidden agendas or utilitarian motives. And "Stability" means that the relationship should enrich life like a "condiment", rather than becoming a new source of emotional turbulence.