Recently, the latest article from the Chinese Ministry of State Security claimed that there is a hidden hand behind the “lying flat” rhetoric – overseas organizations are heavily funding internet celebrities to incite the trend of “lying flat.” The official discourse has triggered strong questioning and ridicule from the public.
“Lying flat” typically refers to the attitude of “choosing to ‘lie flat’ rather than persisting in striving to meet societal expectations, being content with doing nothing and having no desires,” which has emerged among young people. Specific actions associated with lying flat include “not buying a house, not buying a car, not dating, not getting married, not having children, and low-level consumption.” This phenomenon is believed to be related to factors such as employment pressure, decreasing income expectations, and intensifying social competition.
At the end of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out severely in China, causing domestic social issues to worsen rapidly. Following the containment of the epidemic, instead of showing signs of economic recovery, China’s economy continued to stagnate. Against this backdrop, the lying flat phenomenon among young people reflects their disappointment towards the current environment, responding to phenomena such as class solidification, inward shift, shrinking of the middle class, in-work poverty, and overwork, to some extent forming a stance of “refusing consumption, rejecting struggle, and resisting being exploited,” challenging the official ideological propaganda and existing system.
In mainland China, not only have large numbers of people chosen to lie flat, but the phenomenon has also emerged within the ranks of the Chinese Communist Party officials.
On April 28th, the official WeChat account of the Chinese Ministry of State Security posted an article stating that the youth are the future of the nation and also the key targets of infiltration by anti-China hostile forces from abroad. In recent years, overseas anti-China hostile forces have used online platforms to amplify social anxiety, continuously promoting negative concepts such as “effort is futile” and “struggling leads to loss.”
The article mentioned that a certain overseas organization funds various anti-China media outlets and think tanks to construct narratives like “striving = being exploited” and “class solidification = effort is useless.” Additionally, the organization heavily supports “lying flat internet celebrities,” mass-producing short videos advocating “lying flat is justice” and “anti-inward shift = anti-exploitation,” systematically promoting “lying flat brainwashing.” By fostering negative emotions, individual hardships are escalated into group confrontation, leading the youth to be unwittingly misled and manipulated, shaking the foundation of society’s values.
The above arguments have sparked mockery and doubt among mainland Chinese internet users.
The Weibo member “Stone Words” with 2.116 million followers suggested disclosing which internet celebrities received funding from which overseas organizations, the amount of funding involved, the statements made by them encouraging lying flat, and what consequences ensued. Only by subjecting these internet celebrities to severe legal penalties can the message have persuasive power.
“user_wants_world-tour” commented: “Do they still need incitement?”
“I and My Little Happiness” pointed out: “In the future, if you say ‘work is too tiring, too exploitative, I want to rest for a while,’ you’ll be labeled as being influenced by foreign powers!”
“rp_pig_brother” says: “My 10-year-old son said he won’t get married or have children in the future…I asked if his teacher taught him that? Or did he hear it from a game streamer? He replied that it was his own thought…”
Lawyer Yang Chunxiang remarked: “It’s indeed the work of anti-China forces from abroad! Which country’s anti-China forces are behind this, funding which internet celebrities? It’s best to expose them all. ‘If you can’t roll, then lie flat, how can that work? Even if you can’t roll, you have to roll! As long as you don’t roll to death, keep rolling!”
Weibo member “Zheng Yi Has Something to Say” quipped, “So, it seems that the overseas organizations are foolish and short-sighted. To cause harm, they should incite the inward shift; rolling is the optimal solution. This can further compress upward mobility, promote overwork, and create tension in physical, mental, and interpersonal relationships… By inciting lying flat, those who are unwilling to do so, have good conditions or opportunities won’t do it. The more they stir things up this way, the more they create conditions for those standout individuals. Isn’t this money spent in vain?”
With the rise in popularity of lying flat among young people, various merchandise such as T-shirts, mugs, phone cases, and stickers imprinted with slogans like “lie flat” and “as long as you lie flat enough, you won’t be exploited” have appeared on shopping websites.
The lying flat trend among young people has dealt a blow to the economy, prompting an escalation in official crackdowns. Merchandise related to lying flat on shopping websites has been taken down, and accounts discussing related topics frequently face bans.
At the end of last year, the Cyber Administration of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee issued new regulations for managing internet celebrities, explicitly banning expressions like “lying flat” and “being lazy.”
Some viewpoints suggest that the reason the authorities are highly sensitive to “lying flat” and the “inward shift” is due to their underlying implications of “non-violent non-cooperation” and individualistic spirit, posing a potential soft challenge to a regime rooted in collectivism and even challenging the Chinese Communist Party’s rule.