In the run-up to this year's May Day holiday, a five-day break from April 29 to May 3, Chinese social media platforms were inundated with posts looking for travel buddies. This quest was in fact not an isolated phenomenon, but part of a wider social trend called the dazi culture, or companion culture, which is about finding someone on the Internet to accompany an individual to a particular event.

This new type of companionship embodies a widely shared desire among the country's Gen Z for adventures and connections. Typically, through a brief exchange of messages, two strangers agree to meet at a specific destination, travel together and share all costs.

The fact these travel buddies are complete strangers adds an element of surprise to the travel experience. For many young travelers, finding a dazi is like opening a mystery box. At the end of the journey, they may proceed to become friends or simply drift apart without seeing each other ever again.

Either way, what these young Chinese are primarily seeking is not a deep emotional bond, but a physical and supportive presence that drives away the feeling of loneliness.