Thread by @InsiderAsia

Young people – what goal are you currently striving to achieve? insider.com/disenchanted-c…

The movement of the moment in China is "lying flat," which advocates for lying down instead of working hard.

Here’s more on why Chinese youth appear to be rejecting a life and work culture of constant competition. 👇insider.com/disenchanted-c…

The idea of "lying flat" is widely acknowledged as a mass societal response to "neijuan" (or involution). "Neijuan" became a term commonly used to describe the hyper-competitive lifestyle in China, where life is likened to a zero-sum game. insider.com/disenchanted-c…

Neijuan goes hand in hand with China's "9-9-6" culture, which refers to China's "hustle" culture, where people work 12 hours a day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week.

This lifestyle was strongly championed by Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba. insider.com/disenchanted-c…

"Lying flat" rejects the "9-9-6" culture, with the manifesto arguing that "only by lying down can humans become the measure of all things.” insider.com/disenchanted-c…

Zhiyuan Zhang, a 27-year-old night owl, told Insider that he did not start out wanting to join the "lying flat" movement, but his struggles to conform to expectations, particularly through university, made him one of its most ardent followers. insider.com/disenchanted-c…

Now Zhang’s parents give him an allowance of $800 a month and also pay his rent. He occasionally takes up part-time shifts at convenience stores for month-long stretches. But most days he plays computer games through the night, then sleeps through the day. insider.com/disenchanted-c…

"'Lying flat' doesn't mean lying down all day or being jobless. It means going at your own pace and doing what you like," said Yubo Li, 31, who works as a freelance designer and digital artist from his rented room in Shanghai. insider.com/disenchanted-c…

Some Chinese youths say the idea of "lying flat" is a "middle-class ideal" that only people above a certain income level can practice. insider.com/disenchanted-c…

The Chinese government remains in opposition to the "lying flat" movement. It promotes working hard — as Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a 2018 televised address — as the "most honorable, noblest, greatest, and most beautiful virtue." insider.com/disenchanted-c…

There are also perhaps concerns that "lying flat" could affect China's flagging birth rate if more young Chinese people lean into the ideals and delay starting their careers, getting married, and having children. insider.com/disenchanted-c…