“Lie Flat”– Chinese youth subculture in the context of the pandemic and national rejuvenation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Between April and July 2021, a buzzword and the associated trendy lifestyle surfaced in mainland China amidst the ruling Party’s month-long extravagant celebration of its 100th anniversary. This buzzword and the associated lifestyle quickly became a ‘doctrine-ism’ that was particularly phenomenal amidst the overwhelming official discourse of patriotism and national rejuvenation. This buzzword is ‘lie Flat’ (tangping), and the associated doctrine-ism is ‘lying flat-ism’. Drawing on social media posts and focus group discussion, this article considers ‘lying flat-ism’ a youth subculture in contemporary China. It seeks to explore this subcultural phenomenon and traces the social, educational, and economic reasons behind the emergence of this subculture. Agreeing with the claim that this youth culture, along with ‘diaosi’ and ‘sang’ subcultures, reflects the ‘collective frustration’ of Chinese youth, the article further argues that ‘lying flat-ism’ is Chinese youth’s non-violent uncooperative rebellion, modern cynicism and negotiation with official doctrines. It is a spontaneous resistance to social inequality, and a collective and desperate yearning for social change.