A very sad lifestyle choice came to my attention recently. Believe it or not, it’s called “tangping,” which translates in English to “lying flat,” and it is basically rebellion, apathy, and despair all rolled into one. According to the article,
Lying flat emerged four years ago as a counterculture movement to the Chinese regime’s draconian pandemic lockdowns. Chinese youth, rejecting the grueling rat race, sought a different lifestyle: doing the bare minimum.
They have since taken it to another level. Ignoring the urging from Chinese authorities to work hard, they call themselves “rat people” and spend their days “rotting” in bed.
The days they document on Chinese social media go something like this: crawling out of bed around noon or later, showering, cooking or ordering takeout, eating while scrolling their phones, more bedtime, then more food and doomscrolling—or gaming—until the wee hours.
The job market in China has basically dried up, and college graduates are scrambling to find any jobs they can get, mostly involving food service and delivery jobs. This has dashed their expectations and hope. This has also led to falling marriage rates and a decline in families. Most young people interviewed had the same thing to say: “I have no desire for dating or marriage, let alone children. I can barely sustain myself.”
Alan Li, 22, has been in the courier service for three years in the southeastern Chinese city of Suzhou. To save money on rent, he lives in a tent under a bridge.
“Marriage is for rich people,” he told The Epoch Times. “Do you have a house, car, or savings? What will our children eat after marrying? Will there be money for baby formula?”
“It’s way too much pressure.”
And this “lying flat” movement has generated some disturbing trends in society—like young adults buying pacifiers for themselves; calling each other (and strangers) “baby”; waiting in lines for mental health clinics; and even “zero cost survival,” which sometimes means scouring food market dumpsters for discarded produce and living in tents or staying with parents indefinitely.
Recently, “China has been investing more in ideological indoctrination, mandating that all college majors study Marxism, Xi Jinping Thought, and Chinese socialism.” And how is that working for them? The article goes on to say that what the CCP preaches contradicts reality: “If the Party is so great as they claim, then why are people in such a mess?”
This should be taken as a warning to Western nations as well. Communism and socialism are not the answers to the world’s problems. Since those world systems are incompatible with Christianity, they produce hopelessness while at the same time destroying the family. And sadly, there are politicians implementing socialism in the USA! It will be a disaster here as it has been everywhere else it’s been tried. So what is the solution to this epidemic of hopelessness in China?
It is the gospel, which not only saves us but also gives us hope. Ephesians 2:12–13 tells us that before we were saved, we were without hope. But Romans 5:1–2 tells us, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
As I’ve detailed before, “Chinese Christians can’t legally host Sunday school classes, bring their children to church, or teach their own children their Christian faith. Teachers can’t share their faith, and religious materials can’t be used as textbooks. Those who break the law can face fines or other consequences.”
Is it any wonder that this has caused a sense of hopelessness and frustration? And Chinese young people are seeing through the false promises of communist ideology, realizing it is a system that only produces despair.
My message from 2019 is the same that I would give today: “Pray for Chinese Christians. Pray for the parents in China and their children. No matter what the government says about our Christian faith, we must obey God and not men (Acts 5:29). So I know many parents will defy the government and share the good news of Christ with their children. Pray for their protection and boldness. Above all, pray that many people—including children of all ages—will come to faith in Christ.”
