The “lying flat” phenomenon has struck a nerve among Chinese leadership, who have stepped up online surveillance to block comments about the movement that advocates opting out of the daily grind, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said.
In its Fourth-Quarter Report on the Situation in Mainland China, the council highlighted the contradictions between “lying flat” and the “Chinese dream” envisioned by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
Increasingly disillusioned with economic inequality and the expectation of toiling at a job with little reward, many young Chinese are choosing to step out of the rat race altogether.
Photo: Reuters
The buzzword for this phenomenon, “lying flat” (tangping, 躺平), emerged online last year and resonated with young people who identify with its message of living with few desires. This includes working less, forgoing a house and vehicle, avoiding shopping and turning down marriage and parenthood.
Despite its appeal, the concept has also been denounced as toxic and demotivating, especially as Xi espouses his vision of China’s ambitions.
Criticized as “the people lying flat while the country dreams,” the idea of burgeoning passivity runs counter to Xi’s focus on national rejuvenation, raising alarm among Chinese leadership, the report said.
The earliest mention of the phrase can be traced to a post from April last year on the Chinese online forum Baidu Tieba.
In the now-deleted post, titled “Lying Flat is Justice,” the author described how he managed to live well without a stable job and on less than 200 yuan (US$31.62) per month.
“My daily routine is to lie around at home, lie around outside, lazing around like a cat or dog,” he wrote. “The only objective truth in the universe is to ‘lie flat.’”
The phrase took off as shorthand for indifference to societal demands, with users on Sina Weibo (微博) and Douyin (抖音), sharing tips on how to live “lying flat.”
Academics have said that “lying flat” personifies a submissive mentality by remaining unmoved by pressure, regardless of how others respond.
Despite being a lifestyle choice without clear political motivation, it appears to have struck a nerve among Chinese authorities.
China’s Internet regulator in May last year ordered social media sites to “strictly restrict” references to “lying flat,” and for e-commerce platforms to stop selling merchandise with the slogan, according to a document obtained by the New York Times.
State media launched a counterattack, denouncing “lying flat” as “ideological poison” and warning against “lying flat before getting rich.”
Others cited the doctrine in their calls to enhance character cultivation in schools to counter vices such as laziness and greed that arise as society becomes more affluent.
However, “lying flat” primarily reflects a pervasive feeling of powerlessness in the face of rising inequality, the council’s report says.
Some Chinese academics have said that the job market is becoming increasingly competitive and employers are demanding more while failing to provide promised protections.
Long work hours have become the norm, typified by the “996” work week — 9am to 9pm, six days per week — the report said, adding that employers are even touting long workdays as “a blessing for employees.”
Therefore, a common saying emerged and resonated with workers: “If you cannot stand up and are not willing to kneel, then simply lie flat,” it said, adding that the doctrine is a backlash against inequality, low wages and little reward for hard work.
Still others have countered criticism of “lying flat” by saying that the real degenerates are not young people, but systems that solidify class structures and fail to allow for fair competition.
Faced with these structural challenges, the chances of revolt have weakened along with hope for reform, the council said.
There is broad agreement that society has sunken into “involution” (neijuan, 內捲), a trendy term that emerged in 2020 to describe the daily rat race amid hypercompetition, it said, adding that the “lying flat” response is an important change in Chinese cultural attitudes.
Under the banner of “common prosperity,” Beijing is implementing drastic measures to break up monopolies, enhance online surveillance and block discussion of “lying flat” to eliminate social discontent, it said.
It is worth observing whether Beijing can improve China’s job environment, break class stagnation and restore the younger generation’s confidence, as well as counter the potential effects of the “lying flat” culture on China’s economy and society, it added.
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