In recent years, there has been a growing trend of “lying flat” among the public in mainland China, with even officials choosing to adopt this lifestyle. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been cracking down on officials who adopt this approach, going as far as creating the humiliating “snail award.” Analysts believe that under the CCP’s rule, where the country is essentially governed by a gang, trust in the leadership has eroded, and many are quietly waiting for a change in the status quo.
Recently, the news of the reassignment of 8 “lying flat-style” officials in Mazhang District, Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, has gained attention.
China News Weekly revealed the process of how these “lying flat-style” officials were identified and dealt with.
In 2023, Mazhang District formulated the “List of Negative Information Collection and Management for Leading Cadres in Mazhang District,” collecting negative information about cadres through channels such as letters and visits, disciplinary inspection, supervision and audit.
The district’s organization department sorted and registered the information, creating a file for each individual. Then, the district’s research team conducted investigations to identify “lying flat-style” cadres in townships, district units, and construction sites.
It is worth noting that Mazhang District is not the first case in the country. In recent years, due to the increasing number of officials adopting the “lying flat” lifestyle, many regions have taken measures to “punish” these individuals.
As early as January 2016, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, explored the establishment of the “Snail Award.” However, despite efforts to crack down on officials adopting the lying flat approach, more officials seemed to adopt this behavior. From 2016 to 2023, Taizhou issued the “Snail Award” annually, listing both organizations and individuals.
In January of this year, Nanshan Town, Sanshui District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, published the “List of Lying Flat Leisure Personnel in Nanshan Town in 2023,” with 8 officials included.
In June last year, Yunnan Province launched a special campaign targeting “lying flat-style” cadres, conducting a comprehensive inspection of 9 types of “lying flat-style” behaviors. In just two months, Yunnan identified 1,410 “lying flat-style” cadres.
In recent years, regions such as Honghuagang District in Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, Nanyang City in Henan Province, and Shigatse City in Tibet Autonomous Region have also introduced the “Snail Award.” Sanmen County in Zhejiang Province also carried out a county-wide campaign to address the issue of “lying flat.”
In response to these actions, netizens commented that bringing humiliation into management is similar to past practices of public shaming, and expressed concerns about the use of taxpayers’ money to support non-productive individuals. Some questioned the need for public humiliation in dealing with the issue of lying flat officials.
The term “lying flat” first appeared in the “Anti-Marriage Bar” column on Baidu Tieba in 2011. Since then, the trend of lying flat has become popular among young people in mainland China, advocating slogans such as “no house, no car, no marriage, no children, no consumption, no pursuit of promotion.” In the unjust governance environment under the CCP, the lying flat movement is seen as a form of non-violent civil disobedience, which has faced criticism from the official media, labeling “lying flat ideology” as a harmful toxin to society.
Following the trend of lying flat gaining popularity among the public, officials in recent years have also begun adopting this approach, prompting the Chinese authorities to take action against these officials.
According to reports in Chinese state media, the newly revised “Disciplinary Measures of the Chinese Communist Party” have sent a strong signal regarding the serious punishment of “lying flat-style cadres.”
As per the regulations, the handling of “lying flat-style” officials can range from verbal counseling and affecting personal work performance and promotion opportunities to severe disciplinary actions such as major demerits or dismissal.
Why have officials resorted to lying flat? Ms. Huang, who works within the system but requested anonymity, explained to journalists that it is due to the intense crackdown by the disciplinary committee resulting in widespread grievances across the country. Officials are now hypocritical, portraying one thing but believing and acting differently, leading to a situation where everyone is lying flat, waiting to see how society will handle the situation. The establishment of awards or punishments is merely a show put on by the lower-level leaders for the benefit of the higher-ups, as government officials are not actively working and are simply going through the motions without taking responsibility for their actions.
She stated, “The power of the disciplinary committee is immense. If an official has even a slight problem, such as being involved in an accident, they will face consequences like being held accountable, sentenced, dismissed from their position, having their assets confiscated, fines imposed, and losing all retirement benefits and medical insurance.”
A netizen known as “Long Fei” also shared thoughts, stating that the CCP has arrested millions of people, creating an environment where “officials can’t talk about their lives,” where the more work they do, the more mistakes they make. Because of this, even if they receive the “Snail Award,” it won’t have a significant impact, as officials like these are disregarded. The lack of work and corruption within the system have led officials to choose to lie flat, just going through the motions without engaging actively.
He added, “The CCP rules like a gang, and the current anti-corruption campaign is driven by internal power struggles and the need for money. Many corruption cases are pursued to gain money, so when there’s a shortage of funds, officials are restrained from engaging in corruption or enjoying privileges. As a result, they choose to lie flat and simply pass the time.”
According to public data from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) under the CCP, from the 18th National Congress to the end of April 2022 during the past decade, the total number of cases reviewed and investigated by disciplinary inspection and supervision organizations nationwide amounted to 4.388 million cases involving 4.709 million people.
The White Paper released by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate in 2023 indicated an increase in the handling of “cases of duty-related crimes.” Nationwide, procuratorial organs accepted and prosecuted 20,000 people for duty-related crimes, a 9.3% increase compared to previous figures, with 18,000 people prosecuted. Among them, 3,209 people were at the county level or higher.
Ms. Huang mentioned, “Prisons across the country are filled to capacity, and new prisons are being built.” She learned that many prisons have designated zones for those convicted of duty-related crimes, mainly comprising older individuals in their fifties and sixties, who are mainly former civil servants. Since they are unable to perform physically demanding tasks due to their age, they are assigned to do auxiliary work while other inmates in the zone handle more strenuous labor. Life in prison involves working from early mornings starting at 5 a.m., sometimes without a midday break, working weekends, and serving as cheap labor.
Political commentator Wang He, when interviewed by Epoch Times, stated that the corruption within the CCP system is rampant. Previously, CCP officials engaged in corruption while staying silent to accumulate wealth. Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign has intensified factional struggles, leading to significant conflicts within the official groups. Under such high-pressure political circumstances, officials are reluctant to openly oppose and thus resort to passive resistance, which manifests in lying flat.
Wang He analyzed that there are two main reasons why officials are choosing to lie flat. The first is the volatile situation within the CCP regime, with economic collapse, unemployment, and increasing social conflicts leading to a sense of hopelessness among individuals who cannot see a clear future. The second reason is the lack of security felt by officials due to the fierce internal political struggles within the CCP. In such a situation, officials are unsure of the circumstances and choose to remain inactive, lying flat as a self-preservation strategy. The growing internal disunity and moral decay have led the Communist Party to this current state of disarray.
He pointed out that the lying flat behavior among officials can be attributed to various factors. Some officials may adopt this approach out of social conscience, engaging in passive resistance against misguided policies from the top. However, many officials resort to lying flat due to inefficiency in governance, causing harm to the public and leading to widespread discontent.