The Chinese Example We Can't Afford to Follow

Confucius. Lao Tzu. Mencius. Chinese philosophy is everywhere, and its wisdom goes back as far as the Greeks'. So is a new way of thinking now coming out of this extraordinary country? If so, we should pay attention. It could be the plague that wrecks our young people, and our economy with them. Or it could be the first sign of a fresh start.

Tang Ping, or the art of lying flat

In 2021, an ordinary post on a Chinese social network set the internet on fire. Its author had been out of work for two years. He described how good it felt to step out of the race to succeed, the one that means a life of grinding work and sacrifice. A philosopher without knowing it, he wrote: "I can be like Diogenes, who sleeps in his barrel and soaks up the sun."

This disillusioned young man had no idea his rant, and his modern-day wisdom, would go massively viral. The Hero's Journey took an uppercut that would keep it down for a long time. The fight was over, because…

Why bother?

In China, "fendou" is the Party leadership's favorite word. It means "struggle" or "striving." It stands for the ideal model citizen, the one who gives everything for the country, the economy and future generations. It's one of the pillars of communist philosophy. But much to the dismay of China's top officials, a new trend has taken hold. You could call it the rise of the couch potato. The phrase captures it perfectly: the defeatism that pins you to an IKEA sofa bed, eyes glued to the TV, with no ambition beyond your next trip to the bathroom. Or your last breath, with zero dignity.

"Every generation has its own Long March," proclaimed Xi Jinping, head of the Party, just as Tang Ping was fueling the online bonfire. "And every generation has its own ambition!" Or not…

Run-ology, or getting out while you can

Every philosophy spawns offshoots, and Tang Ping was no exception. After so much time crying over their fate, young Chinese people got tired of sweating it out.

"Rùn" means "moisture" in Chinese. It happens to sound just like the English word "run." And so "run-ology" was born. The idea: the only way to use all that energy wasted on doing nothing is to run, and escape the system. Run-ology celebrates flight. It's the story of the hero who faces the dragon, turns his back on the princess in danger, and bolts. It's a different ending. But it fits right in with today's cult of the antihero, which sells so well.

Still, running isn't always an option. Luckily, philosophy has one more rescue in store.

Bai Lan, when things start to rot

Bai Lan is where the defeatism of young Chinese people hits its peak. Lying flat and adopting a stoic, minimalist outlook wasn't enough. Only a few masters of letting go found peace in detached mindfulness. The rest, being more human, sank into the heavy, depressive weight of failure.

That's where Bai Lan comes from. It translates as "let it rot." It's the death of purpose and desire. The body stiffens. The reasons run out. And the bedsores reach all the way into the soul. It's voluntary apathy at its extreme.

Tens of millions of likes

Reportedly, 90 million Chinese users have posted with the hashtag #bailan. It's a social phenomenon that worries the Party, because the implications are huge.

Young people are done with "996": working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. It's China's version of the daily grind. They've walked away from the economy and its pressure to succeed. From its ruthless competition. From its anxiety and its miserable burnouts. Protest-by-boredom has taken over. And the Chinese government is stressed, because for the first time it faces a revolt it can't crush: a revolt of doing nothing.

And the government's concern is serious. One in five young people is reportedly missing from the job market. Meanwhile, the country has close to 300 million elderly people, roughly the entire population of the United States. And its age pyramid is squeezed by the one-child policy that ran from 1979 to 2015.

In his Discourse on Voluntary Servitude, Étienne de La Boétie pointed out that power only exists because we consent to serve it. According to him, simply stopping would be enough to end any tyranny. Could Bai Lan prove he was right?

But let's not kid ourselves…

Western capitalism is no better than Chinese communism. We're all in the same boat. If a young person wants to make it, they'd better hang on tight. That's their struggle. But between TikTokers and influencers selling the dream of effortless wealth, and governments that seem to treat us all like fools, why bother trying? And let's leave young people out of it for a second. They make an easy scapegoat.

Aren't we all living our own version of Tang Ping, run-ology and Bai Lan? How many of us in our 40s and 50s have been tempted to walk away from it all? How many of us dream of living simply, buying a small farm and living off the land? How many long-term unemployed people settle for the bare minimum and refuse to rejoin the system?

Since 2020, companies have struggled badly to hire. Could that be a sign of this movement playing out in the background?

This decline in collective motivation affects all of us. Life as it's sold to us, one health, political and economic crisis after another, doesn't inspire anyone anymore. Mortgage payments. Inflation. Unemployment. Bankruptcies. Crushing debt. Restrictions. Extra pounds and extra taxes. Cash-flow problems. Unpaid invoices. Anxiety, stress, depression, divorce and the looming threat of burnout…

"What's the point of it all?"

That's the first question on the hero's journey. The why of confusion and injustice.

The second one is the why of purpose. The one that gives us wings. Wings to never stop dreaming. Wings to build a future that truly fits who we are.

On one side, the promise of a fresh start. It takes effort and courage. Not for the government or the system, but for our world, a world worth getting up for. On the other side, the apathy of a Western Bai Lan. One very close to what the Greeks and Romans went through before us, as their empires declined.

Is history repeating itself? It's up to us to give it a new meaning. Hero's journey or antihero's journey: you have to choose. One gives you the chance to build a new world. The other lets you slide into our own Western brand of Bai Lan. Either way, a conscious form of leadership will show up, whether defeatist or committed. Konxus and ImpaKt are our answer to this debate. Let's each do our part. Consciously. What about you? What will your part be? Bai Lan or commitment?

Key takeaways

In a world that celebrated the hero's journey, a new school of thought is emerging from China:

• Tang Ping, or the benefits of stepping out of the race to succeed
• Run-ology: facing life's obstacles has fallen out of favor, and the cult of the antihero has never been stronger
• Bai Lan, or the glorification of doing nothing
• It affects young people, but not only them…
• Could this signal a fresh start?
• We'll have to choose: inaction or commitment?

Originally published in French on Konxus Média ↗