This story was adapted from Rough Translation’s latest episode. Listen to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or NPR One.
A colleague pulled me from my computer in Beijing four years ago. I was working as a cub reporter.
She wanted to show me Sung Tea, a new trendy bubble tea shop. It celebrates the nihilistic attitudes of China’s post 1980s generation with fatalistically named drinks aEUR,” such as “Work Overtime With No Hope of A Pay Raise Green Tea” (perhaps too much on the nose that day) or “My Ex is Doing Better than Me Black Tea.”
The brand is a pun on Sang, a Chinese character that literally means “mourning”. Sang has assumed many new meanings in China. This has been made possible by successive lockdowns to stop the coronavirus and growing regulatory controls, particularly in the internet sector.
Because China loves to work, Sang’s rise in the ranks is remarkable. A “996” schedule aEUR 9 a.m.-9 p.m., 6 day a week can be a source of pride. It has paid off: Many Chinese enjoyed the financial benefits of hard work and entrepreneurship during China’s economic boom years in the 1990s and 2000s.
However, attitudes towards work are changing.
As in the United States, Chinese born after 1980s face worse outcomes than their parents. The rising property prices mean that college graduates are forced to compete for limited jobs. Gender imbalances favor males, which is made worse by the decades-old one-child policy. This makes it impossible for poorer men to get married. It seems that hard work is no longer worth the effort.
Sang, a single Chinese character that embodies the soul-sucking weariness caused by these conditions can help you. It was impossible for me to not notice Sang everywhere I looked in mainstream Chinese culture.
“Sang culture” can be described as a melancholic despair at the futility and hopelessness of current circumstances.
These are some of the ways Sang culture can be expressed in China.
In Chinese pop culture, frustrations akin to Sang culture are common. People share memes like “Ge You Slouch” online. This is a screenshot of an actor from a popular ’90s sitcom, slouched on a couch.
Chinese actor Ge You wins lawsuit over use of his slouch meme https://t.co/SZWOL5knIX pic.twitter.com/t3aRFTKHRh
Some Sang manifestations cross-culturally, in unexpected ways. Pepe the Frog is a cartoon character that has been a symbol for American far-right groups. In China, the green amphibian is carried around by Sang supporters. Pepe is considered Sang-aEUR” tired and gloomy by Chinese Sang people.
Li Xueqin is an irreverent and tough-talking comedian, who graduated from one China’s most prestigious universities. She has gained a cult after subverting cultural expectations for women and academic high achievers. With her self-deprecating jokes about stress, dating and parental pressures, she has been able to earn a place in Sang.
BoJack Horseman, an American television series, has gained a surprising following in China. Chinese viewers claim they can relate to its main character, the animated, self-destructive equine.
Independent record labels offer low-energy, lyrical music to help you live your best Sang.
Trip Fuel is a popular indie band that has gained a loyal following of disillusioned, aimless millennials across China.
“Our generation has such worries: to change social classes and struggle to live a better lifestyle, but at the exact same time, we still have this utopian ideallism that is difficult for us to balance,” says Xiaozhou (the band’s bassist).
Trip Fuel performed in Shenzhen, a southern Chinese city. Many of their fans were so tired that they slept through some of the concerts.
Manager Chen is the stage name of the lead singer. It also serves as his day job. He works in a bank. He thanked his boss and the fans for giving him the weekend off to allow Chen to attend his concert. The rocker was at work by night and a bank employee the next day.
Sang culture adherents can use a variety of terms that have become part of the modern Mandarin Chinese lexicon. The term “neijuan” is used to describe the act of jumping through hoops in modern Chinese society. There is also “involution,” which refers to a culture of race-to the-bottom that involves overwork due to shrinking resources.
Exhausted Man is a soothing video game that can help burnt-out gamers. It requires players to manipulate a limping, snoozing worker into performing simple tasks like turning off the lights or moving his tired body across the room for a cup.
Gao Ming, a Beijing-based designer behind the videogame, said that many players believe my game is like their everyday lives. If that’s the case, why are they still playing the game?” The game allows you to get away from your daily grind by highlighting the absurdity of your exhausted lifestyle.
Gao says that video games can actually be quite productive. Exhausted Man players might think about the similarities between their lifestyles and the game’s and use that to motivate them to make changes in their lives.
In China, you can also tangping or lie flat. This lifestyle is a social protest against unrealistic expectations and overwork.
This is the natural instinct of people who are tired of the high level of competition in China’s education system or facing increasing economic pressures.
Zhou Liqi (a serial thief) is a rare example of this kind of hardcore chilling. He was arrested again in 2012 for stealing e-bikes. His jailhouse interview captures the attention of blue and white collar workers in China. He must steal to survive.
Zhou was an internet celebrity by the time he was released from prison.
Others are not willing to be mascots for Sang culture. A Russian contestant was cast in a Chinese reality television show last year. He found himself stuck on the show, and viewers were so fascinated by his lack of motivation that they kept voting to keep him there week after week.
Lelush appears to be the contestant who has accepted the idea of stardom as well as Sang. Lelush posts photos of himself in luxury pajamas and loungewear on Instagram.
