The thought of low material need and being unwilling to work, marry and have children, is described as a "lying down" lifestyle recently. It creates an emotional reaction among many young Chinese who are eager to take pause to breathe in this fast-paced and highly competitive society.
Many young people complained to the Global Times that duties, including work stress, family argument and financial pressure, have pushed them "against the wall". They said they hate the "involution (内卷)", joking that they would rather give up some of what they have than get stuck in an endless competition against peers.
"Instead of always following the ‘good quality' of struggle and sacrifice to bear the stresses, they prefer a temporary lying down as release and adjustment," said an expert. "It is no wonder that some young people, under the growing pressures from child-raising to paying the mortgage (按揭) today, would try to live in a simple way and leave the worries behind. "
Interestingly, the majority of young people, who claim to be big fans of the lying down philosophy, admit that they only accept a temporary lying down as a short rest. It is true that with the great improvement of living conditions, some Chinese youth have partially lost the spirit of hardship and are not willing to bear too much hard work. But in fact, lying down is not entirely comfortable. Young people who lie down always feel ashamed about their constant loss of morale (士气).
"Young people have both ambition and confusion about their future, but most of us have refused to waste opportunities and challenges," a postgraduate student told the Global Times. "It's no use running away. I have to ‘stand up' and face the reality sooner or later. "
