Under the governance of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), society is rapidly regressing, and the Chinese people have become the “cost” in the CCP’s grand restructuring. The youth, lacking hope, have transitioned from being passive and indulgent to collectively embracing the label of “rat people,” reflecting a microcosm of an era where individuals are unwilling to bear the “cost.”
In the past few months, the low-energy lifestyle vlogs of “rat people” have quickly taken over the entire Chinese internet.
The “rat people” live their days and nights in a topsy-turvy manner, with activities limited to essential tasks like eating and using the restroom to keep themselves alive. The rest of their time is spent either sleeping or playing on their phones, with a lack of ambition and goals, and delaying or avoiding any other responsibilities.
However, this low-energy, procrastinating, mildly indulgent state has resonated among numerous netizens, overshadowing so-called refined lifestyle vlogs. Netizens have collectively embraced the term “rat people.”
As of now, topics related to #lowenergy# have been viewed billions of times online, topping the charts on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social platform). Topics related to #ratpeople# have garnered nearly 2 billion views, propelling “rat people” to become a new trendsetter in 2025.
Many Weibo users commented, “I feel like I’ve become a rat person, not studying, not socializing, no exercise, just eating and sleeping, my only hobby is browsing Weibo and Douyin, making myself scatterbrained.”
“I’m truly a low-energy rat person. I get exhausted from doing just about anything.”
“The sunset signals the emergence of rat people!”
“A weekend in the life of a rat person: waking up at half-past two in the afternoon, ordering a dessert delivery, eating, then sleeping until seven, spending an hour searching for food, planning to get up at eight in the evening for the first meal of the day, that’s life.”
The online viral day in the life of a low-energy rat person begins with waking up and getting out of bed at 3 pm:
15:00-17:00 Continuing to lounge in bed playing with the phone, taking breaks when tired.
17:00-19:00 Waking up hungry, ordering delivery food, getting out of bed to wash up and eat once it arrives.
20:00-22:00 Leisurely finishing the first meal of the day, lounging on the couch playing with the phone.
At midnight, after spending the day on psychological preparation, deciding to take a shower.
At 2 am, lying in bed playing with the phone, remembering the unopened courier package outside the door for a week, deciding to deal with it tomorrow.
The seemingly decadent and indulgent “rat people” trend has sparked widespread resonance among the youth. Why has it struck a chord with them?
In the past during the period of economic development, there were the so-called “rat tribe” migrant workers in major Chinese cities. However, their situation was drastically different from the current “rat people.”
Former mainland education teacher Geng Lutao explained to DaJiyuan that the previous “rat tribe” generally referred to the migrant workers in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, who lived in basements, crowded buses, and had poor conditions. But at least back then, they felt that life was moving upward; even in hardship, they had hope and believed they could overcome it.
“But the current ‘rat people’ are different. They may not be impoverished, but they generally have a low spirits, feeling that the future will be worse, lacking hope,” he said.
“The biggest difference is: the previous hardships were temporary, while today’s hardships seem endless.”
Historical scholar Li Yuanhua, studying in Australia, told DaJiyuan, the past “rat tribe” focused more on the lives of the social underclass. However, today’s “rat people” signify a kind of resentful resignation. “I don’t want to be too tired, because being tired serves no purpose.”
Jiangsu dissident Le Kai’an expressed to DaJiyuan, the “rat tribe” had once struggled as the social underclass; despite their low status, they still had the will to strive and change their fate. However, the “rat people” embody deep passivity and have lost their drive, indicating a more severe social class solidification and the loss of economic opportunities in Chinese society.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the rapid shift and high pressure in CCP politics have made individuals feel the sorrow of being unable to control their own destiny, even economically. This is not a cyclical event but a century-long grand restructuring where the Chinese people have become a “cost” in internal and external struggles.
British student studying in China Guo Yuxuan told DaJiyuan that during the pandemic, the true face of the CCP was exposed, implementing extreme lockdown policies leading to the mass exodus of foreign companies and continuous economic decline, resulting in increased youth unemployment rates. Recently, the CCP has taken a tough stance against the United States in trade wars, but it’s the ordinary common people who truly bear the consequences.
Geng Lutao explained that at the core of the “rat people” phenomenon lies high unemployment, severe internal competition, and an uncertain future, causing young people to live with low energy.
“At the end of the day, it’s because the current economic and employment environment in China is too poor, especially after the pandemic. Many college graduates can’t find jobs. This generation of young people is trapped in a narrow space, constantly swirling but unable to see hope, so they choose to lie flat.”
Insider from Shenzhen, Guo Cheng, said, nowadays, wages are very low, college graduates in state-owned jobs earn around four to five thousand yuan. He noted that young people see no way out, spending their time playing on their phones, and experiencing significant downgrading in consumption. Former hotel residents now stay in hostels and youth hostels. Previously luxurious hotels have transformed into street vendors, with many fast-food places appearing in Shenzhen where food is priced per jin (a Chinese unit of weight), customers pay based on weight, eat what they bought, saving money due to significant downgrading in consumption.
“Everyone is enduring, nobody knows what the future holds,” he added.
Le Kai’an pointed out that under tremendous social and economic pressures, most people are no longer fixated on the “dream of refined living” and are starting to accept harsh realities. This shift will manifest in their attitudes towards life, with fewer aspirations for an unattainable refined lifestyle and more indifference.
Li Yuanhua stated that while the “rat people” may appear decadent on the surface, inwardly, young people have lost hope in this society and government. They express a soft resistance through this indulgent, self-abandoning state that expends no personal energy as a means of passive rebellion.
Geng Lutao added that the existence of “rat people” itself is a form of passive resistance or silent protest, effectively challenging the ruling logic of the CCP. Instead of taking to the streets to resist, they adopt a stance of indifference, non-cooperation, no longer believing in the idea that hard work can change their fate.
“In essence, the real enemy is not external but internal, these people’s hearts are changing gradually,” he said.
Geng Lutao believes that today’s youth are lacking hope, motivation, and goals, disengaged from society and indifferent to everything, resulting in a notably gloomy society. Over time, this could easily lead to retaliatory social behaviors akin to Zhang Xianzhong, becoming even more dangerous.
Le Kai’an expressed that the “rat people” can be viewed as a psychological state of “decadence” or as a “silent resistance” to the current social situation. If everyone were to lie flat, indulge, and collectively reduce consumption, it would exacerbate China’s already severe consumption slump, hastening the economic crisis under CCP rule.
Guo Yuxuan stated that looking back at history, the spirit of this nation has not changed. The current silent state does not necessarily signify the loss of youth’s spirit but rather a clear recognition of reality.
He believes that Chinese youth have not stopped thinking but are quietly waiting for real change. They harbor deep resentment toward the CCP but have no outlet to vent, thus choosing this method to resist the CCP government, no longer willing to cooperate and enrich the CCP regime at their own expense.
“I believe this is a strong, clear signal of the impending end of the CCP regime,” Guo added.