‘Lying flat’ is no more: new evolution of disillusionment has frustrated Chinese youths ‘letting it rot’

‘Lying flat’, or tang ping in Mandarin, a social protest movement, went mainstream in China last year, referring to the idea of just doing enough to get by

But now, some Chinese youths are ‘letting it rot’ by not even attempting to participate in society to begin with

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Young people in China are no longer ‘lying flat’, they are ‘letting it rot’. Photo: SCMP composite

Published: 9:00am, 4 Oct 2022Updated: 12:24pm, 4 Oct 2022

“I am bailan-ing. Leave me alone,” read a note posted on the door of 28-year-old Yan Jie’s bedroom.

Yan, who shares a flat with a colleague in suburban Shanghai, was mocking himself, saying he was lazy, by using a new buzz phrase “bailan” which literally means “let it rot” that is becoming increasingly popular among young Chinese people.

“When I am given an assignment at work, I try to avoid it. If I am forced to do the work, I will do it but inadequately,” said Yan, who works for a medium-sized IT company.

“When my parents ask me about when I will get married, I tell them I will leave it to happenstance,” he said.

Social expectations in China are creating a sense of disillusionment among the country’s young people. Photo: Shutterstock

Bailan refers to an attitude of giving up on a deteriorating situation. It comes from a sentiment among many young people in China that they are powerless to combat forces making social expectations unattainable.

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