On November 12, 2025, a report from Epoch Times indicated that the Chinese Communist Party’s official media recently addressed the issue of young cadres adopting a “lying flat” attitude, citing Xi Jinping’s experiences as a youth in Liangjiahe, Shaanbei, advocating that young cadres should seek hardships on their own. Experts pointed out that while it is good for young people to endure hardships, the call from the party media is seen in the context of bureaucratic slackness within the autocratic system of the Communist Party, making Xi Jinping’s past “seeking hardship” a form of irony.
The People’s Daily, a Chinese Communist Party media outlet, published an article on November 11 criticizing young party and government cadres for having a “lying flat” mentality, avoiding hard work and responsibilities, and complaining about minor inconveniences in their tasks. The article emphasized the need for young cadres to endure more hardships and seek challenges.
Before 2025, Chinese state media had repeatedly reported or quoted Xi Jinping’s comments about “seeking hardships” during his time as a youth in Liangjiahe, with Xi advocating for young people to endure hardships.
Gong Xiangsheng, deputy researcher at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, expressed to Epoch Times that while the Chinese people traditionally had a spirit of hard work and endurance, moral decline has spread throughout society, with officials avoiding hardships as the overall economic situation declines. The recent resurgence of Xi’s rhetoric aims to address bureaucratic laziness and slackness in governance.
Su Ziyun, director of the Strategic Resources Department at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, mentioned that in Chinese society, there is an ancient saying about enduring hardships to achieve great things, and encouraging young people to work hard is common across nations. However, the Communist Party media and Xi Jinping’s “seeking hardships on their own” message carries political connotations and even satire.
“The Party media is now calling on young cadres to endure more hardships and seek challenges on their own, but in reality, the Communist Party is causing suffering for the young people,” he stated.
During the past three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese authorities imposed strict control measures, leading to a humanitarian disaster and significant economic damage in China. Since the lifting of restrictions in 2023, the economy has continued to decline, with high youth unemployment rates. Authorities have repeatedly urged college graduates to participate in poverty alleviation efforts. It has been noted that Xi Jinping’s approach mirrors Mao Zedong’s tactics during difficult economic times, diverting attention by promoting youth participation in rural development projects to address unemployment.
Su Ziyun pointed out that the timing of the Party media’s call for “seeking hardships” is unusual, as many young Chinese people currently have a “lying flat” mentality, believing that no matter how hard they work within the current system, they will not achieve positive results. The official rhetoric aims to inspire hope among the youth about their future prospects but may have the opposite effect.
Since Xi Jinping took office, a large number of officials have been targeted in anti-corruption campaigns, and many close associates known as the “Xi’s faction” have risen to top positions. However, in recent years, many of these high-ranking officials have been implicated in corruption scandals. Additionally, in August this year, the China Organization Personnel News criticized the rush to develop young cadres, suggesting that patience is required for their growth.
Commentator Li Lin commented to Epoch Times that this shift in discourse may suppress ambitious young cadres with achievements, making it challenging for them to advance despite their efforts, forcing them to endure stagnation. Meanwhile, older and well-connected officials continue to occupy influential positions, further diminishing the confidence of young cadres and exacerbating bureaucratic slackness.
Tang Jingyuan, a political commentator based in the United States, stated to Epoch Times that the Party media’s portrayal of Xi Jinping as someone who sought hardships himself is ironic. Xi was not voluntarily sent to Liangjiahe during the Cultural Revolution but went as a result of his father’s persecution, seeking refuge in the countryside.
Public records show that in 1969, at the age of 15, Xi Jinping was sent to Liangjiahe village in Yanchuan County, Shaanxi province, as part of Mao Zedong’s “Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement,” which forcibly relocated millions of urban youth for “re-education.”
In an interview with Yan’an TV on August 14, 2004, Xi Jinping, then Zhejiang Provincial Party Secretary, recalled his initial struggles in Liangjiahe, where he initially had difficulty adapting to the rural lifestyle. He shared that he eventually returned to Liangjiahe after some time away, following his uncle Wei Zhenshun’s advice.
Tang Jingyuan emphasized that Xi Jinping was himself a victim of the Cultural Revolution and was sent to the countryside to endure hardships. However, upon assuming power, he seemed to replicate Mao Zedong’s policies, leading to further hardships for many. The portrayal of Xi Jinping as “seeking hardships” by the Party media carries a certain irony and satire.