On April 28th, the Chinese Ministry of State Security posted on its WeChat official account accusing overseas anti-China hostile forces of using online platforms to deliberately amplify social anxiety. They continuously promote ideas of futility and struggle, attempting to escalate individual difficulties into societal antagonism, leading the youth to be misled and coerced unconsciously. However, the Ministry did not specify which specific individuals or organizations are the overseas anti-China hostile forces.
Regarding this, Senior Researcher Song Guocheng of the International Relations Research Center at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, stated on the New Tang Dynasty Television program “News Decoded” on April 30th that the Ministry of State Security accuses overseas forces of inciting the “lying flat” movement. However, he couldn’t pinpoint the specific external forces or provide evidence of which online platforms or internet celebrities are being utilized.
Song Guocheng pointed out that apart from some nefarious partners, which overseas force does not oppose the Chinese Communist Party? Besides the self-made pink platforms of the CCP, are there any other online platforms that are not anti-CCP? Song Guocheng mentioned that criticizing the “lying flat” movement so vigorously is because it has severely eroded the legitimacy of the CCP’s regime.
In 2021, there was an article on the Zhihu forum calling on young people to not buy houses, cars, engage in relationships, get married, have children, or consume goods, simplifying it as the Six No Principles, also known as the lying flat manifesto. Song Guocheng mentioned that this was proposed by Chinese youth on the Zhihu forum, which is not an overseas online platform nor related to anti-China forces.
Many Chinese media outlets have also posted similar articles. There was a well-known post titled “Lying Flat is Justice”, which considered lying flat as a movement of wisdom where only by lying flat can one truly become the measure of all things. Douban even established a lying flat group, where young people collectively embraced lying flat, although it was eventually deleted one by one.
Song Guocheng expressed that in reality, the youth in China are not lazy or unambitious. The more they strive and struggle, the more they feel trapped, exploited, and sacrificed. He believes that lying flat reflects the lack of trust between the government and the people, as well as the absence of consensus within society. Under the CCP’s system of institutionalized deception, the Ministry of State Security’s criticism actually reveals the deteriorating logic of self-exposure.
Song Guocheng stated that the Ministry’s strong condemnation of the lying flat movement also proves that lying flat is a form of non-cooperative revolution among Chinese youth. It signifies a stance of listening but never fully trusting, akin to Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement, although lying flat is a cultural and lifestyle movement rather than a political one. Nonetheless, the essence of resistance through non-cooperation remains consistent.
In psychology, there is a term called “learned helplessness,” originating from an experiment by American psychologist Martin Seligman. He divided dogs into two groups, where one group could stop electric shocks by pressing a lever, while the other group’s efforts were futile in stopping the shocks. This phenomenon in psychology is known as learned helplessness.
Song Guocheng explained that learned helplessness equates to expended effort with no tangible results, mirroring the current phenomenon of Chinese youth lying flat as a sense of futile effort. He believes that when the vast majority of Chinese youth realize that they can’t change their fate or improve their quality of life through legal means or hard work, lying flat becomes a form of self-redemption philosophy.
He elaborated on the three meanings of self-redemption. Firstly, lying flat represents a low-desire lifestyle. By retreating from excessive effort, one can regain or maintain their dignity within the lying flat philosophy. Secondly, the youth’s lying flat undermines the CCP’s governance mythology. Since young people are primary consumers and taxpayers, their adherence to the Six No Principles and lying flat lifestyle leads to a decline in CCP’s stagnant consumption, resulting in chronic economic decline.
A recent report from the Rhodium Group, an American analysis firm, stated that China’s population might decrease by nearly 60 million in the next decade, almost equivalent to France’s total population. Song Guocheng emphasized that young people are not only the labor force but also essential for demographic dividends. If the majority of young people refrain from marrying and having children in the next decade, China will face a demographic gap, leading to the disappearance of demographic dividends, ultimately shattering the dream of China’s rise to power.
On the other hand, Song Guocheng stated that Chinese youth perceive the so-called Chinese Dream and narratives of national strength propagated by the CCP as spiritual opium. They believe that lying flat represents a rational survival philosophy for their generation.
A poem circulated online in 2021: Unable to stand, unwilling to kneel, thus only lying flat. Lying flat is not bowing; lying flat is not kneeling; lying flat is standing horizontally; lying flat is maintaining a straight spine.
Song Guocheng believes that the lying flat ideology signifies growth because it signifies the youth’s realization of societal reality and the essence of the CCP’s regime, leading to personal growth. Therefore, lying flat genuinely reflects the awakening of the Chinese youth, manifested in three aspects:
Firstly, rejecting slavery. By not getting wound up, as being caught up means being exploited, manipulated, and becoming a slave. They view the CCP’s grand narratives as inducing a slave mentality in the youth.
Secondly, autonomy in life. Lying flat is a tactic of low desire invented by young people to resist. By diminishing their material wants, they reclaim their time and life autonomy.
Thirdly, awakening of the self. The lying flat ideology’s slogan is “lying flat is standing horizontally.” for the CCP, dealing with lying flat is more challenging than dealing with armed revolutionary forces because suppression can eliminate an organization or a group, but for those lying flat, no form of violence, coercion, or deception can be effective.
In summary, Song Guocheng stated that lying flat is a form of non-cooperative revolution among the young generation of China. Lying flat is not merely laying down but a distinct and resilient expression of the Chinese youth.