Opinion | China’s lockdowns, other rigid Covid-19 control measures heighten worries of worsening economy for nation’s middle class

  • On China’s internet, ‘run’ – as in, flee the country – gained momentum as the word of the year after Shanghai was put under a draconian Covid-19 lockdown
  • What lies behind that word is growing anxiety by the affluent urban middle class over China’s future

A residential area’s entrance is seen closed on May 5, 2022, as Shanghai remains under an extended Covid-19 lockdown. Photo: Reuters
On China’s internet, “involution” became the word of the year in 2020, followed by “laying flat” in 2021 and “run” this year. Although a tongue-in-cheek take of life in the country, each word captures the sentiment of the affluent urban middle class at the time.
Involution refers to excessive competition in Chinese society, while laying flat is a direct response to that contentious environment. Run – as in, flee the country – gained momentum this year after Shanghai was put under a draconian Covid-19 lockdown.
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