Tangping (Lying Flat) among Young Adults : Shameful, Courageous or Just Fleeting Resistance?

As a reaction to fierce competition and non-stop overwork, a movement of young people started to deliberately reject society’s ideas of success by “lying flat” ( tangping ). In public debates, tangping knows both supporters and opposers, and argumentations originating in both Chinese and Western traditions. Primarily based on data from digital ethnography complemented with interviews, this chapter investigates how the lying-flat movement serves as a barometer for how young adults negotiate their personal development in socially and politically unwanted though not entirely new ways. Tangping is discussed as a self-chosen, courageous resistance to an oppressive society that reflects a genuine need for sustained quality of life, rewarding self-development and, ultimately self-preservation while at the same time renouncing mainstream values.