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Chinese internet culture
TechTech Trends
Zhou Xin
Zhou Xin

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

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A residential area’s entrance is seen closed on May 5, 2022, as Shanghai remains under an extended Covid-19 lockdown. Photo: Reuters
Zhou Xin
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.

What lies behind those terms is growing anxiety over China’s future and rising concerns about Beijing’s strategy on “reform and opening up”. This is a particular worry for the country’s middle class, who have largely benefited from economic liberalisation and globalisation. Their uneasiness has led to a spike in online searches for information about immigration, according to anecdotal evidence.

For many people, this apprehension was unthinkable pre-pandemic. A person born in China in 1980, for example, has lived through a long stretch of economic prosperity that saw the country’s GDP per capita reach more than US$12,000. That enabled hundreds of millions of people to expand their economic options, while steadily improving their quality of life.

02:30

Shanghai doubles down on quarantine measures in Covid-19 fight

Shanghai doubles down on quarantine measures in Covid-19 fight

Beijing has repeatedly assured the nation of its commitment to reform and opening up, which are expected to guarantee a better future for those who have cultivated their knowledge and accumulated a certain amount of wealth. Reform is supposed to represent how individuals have free rein to foster their career and lifestyle, while opening up refers to gaining access to products, services and ideas from around the world.

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