{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The Future is Lying Flat","description":"In China, there have been generations that \u201cstood up\u201d (\u7ad9\u8d77\u6765 zh\u00e0nq\u01d0lai) and generations that \u201cjumped into the sea\u201d (\u4e0b\u6d77 xi\u00e0h\u01cei), but many young people in China today are choosing instead to just \u201clie down and chill.\u201d The term \u201cLying Flat\u201d (\u8eba\u5e73 t\u01cengp\u00edng) became popular following a blog post entitled \u201cLying Flat is Justice\u201d (\u8eba\u5e73\u5373\u662f\u6b63\u4e49 t\u01cengp\u00edng j\u00edsh\u00ec zh\u00e8ngy\u00ec) went viral earlier this year. This call to inaction inspired many to choose a lifestyle that rejected the social pressure to work hard and conform. Why bother striving if the \u201cChinese Dream\u201d of a high-paying job, buying a house, and checking all the boxes for success seem impossible? Many young people are also turning their backs on the corporate grind and risky start-up jobs to find a stable gig with China\u2019s biggest employer: the government. Why are young people lining up for \u201cless competitive\u201d jobs in the civil service? After 30 years of standing up and another 30 years of jumping in the sea of entrepreneurship, why are so many young people choosing a life of less struggle? To answer these questions, we talked with Kailai, a student at one of China\u2019s top universities, who explains to us why the growing gap between expectations and reality is causing young people to question assumptions about what is the meaning of a successful life and why when the going gets tough, sometimes the best thing you can do is take a step back, lie down, and chill. ","author_name":"Wo Men Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/womenpodcast.net","html":"