Divine Intervention Sought by Worried Chinese Amid Economic Concerns

Young people in China are turning to Buddhist and Taoist temples to pray for divine intervention in securing jobs, getting into good schools or becoming rich overnight due to disillusionment with the deteriorating economic outlook. Economic uncertainty has driven temple visits and tourism to new heights, with temple visits surging more than fourfold from a year ago. The jobless rate for people between 16 and 24 years old reached a record 20.4% in April, and youth unemployment could get even worse as a record 11.6 million college students enter the already tough job market this summer.