"Cardboard dogs" take off on campuses in China

Photo shows four "dogs" made of cardboard. (Photo/Li Jing)

People are seen walking their dogs almost every day. However, it’s now vogue on Chinese campuses to walk "dogs" made of cardboard.

Videos of "cardboard dogs" are going viral on Chinese social media lately, making these creatively made "animals" extremely popular.

Walking the "cardboard dogs" has even become a fun way of socializing for university students, which is all the more important for a generation growing up increasingly online and lacking regular opportunities for face-to-face communication. When walking "cardboard dogs" on campus, students can talk joyfully with each other, even though many have never met before.

Photo shows a "dog" made of cardboard is "tied" at a doorway. (Photo/Fan Xinran)

Some people think "walking cardboard dogs" is immature, but Li Jing, a dog lover from Northeast Normal University in northeast China's Jilin Province, said that what others say is not that important. For Li, what matters the most is to be happy. She always wanted to keep a dog in her dormitory and making a cardboard one is a perfect substitute.

Fan Xinran, another student from the university said that making "cardboard dogs" has helped her relieve pressure and has given her more opportunities to communicate with others.

“As social animals, people need face-to-face communication, especially when interpersonal exchanges are more and more online nowadays,” said Qu Hongmei, deputy dean of the School of Philosophy and Sociology in Jilin University in northeast China's Jilin Province.

“The ‘cardboard dog’ trend may after all be a great opportunity for university students to go outdoors and communicate more with each other,” Qu added.