As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tightens its grip on power, a silent revolution is brewing beneath the surface—one that the regime is struggling to control. The youth of China, disillusioned and discontented, have sparked a movement that threatens not only the country’s economy but also the very foundation of the CCP’s rule. This movement, known as “bailan” (literally “let it rot”), is a rebellion so unique and pervasive that even the CCP's notorious apparatus of suppression is finding it difficult to contain.
The Rise of Bailan: A Silent Rebellion. In March 2022, the term “bailan” gained immense popularity on Chinese social media, particularly on Weibo, where it garnered over 91 million views within just six months. Bailan represents a profound sense of disillusionment among China’s youth, who are rejecting the relentless grind of modern Chinese society. Unlike other movements that the CCP has brutally crushed, bailan is nonviolent and deeply rooted in personal disengagement. Young people are quitting their jobs, abandoning societal expectations, and embracing a lifestyle of minimal effort, seeing little hope in striving for traditional success.
This movement is not an isolated phenomenon. It follows on the heels of “tangping” (lying flat), another movement that emerged in 2021, where young Chinese people began rejecting the 996 work culture—working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. This relentless work schedule has become the norm in China, despite the country’s labor laws mandating a maximum of 44 hours per week. The youth's rebellion against this culture is a rejection of the values that have driven China’s economic miracle over the past few decades.
The roots of this discontent run deep, and much of it can be traced back to the CCP’s draconian policies that have wreaked havoc on key industries. In 2021, the CCP launched a massive crackdown on the private tutoring sector, banning for-profit tutoring for school curriculum subjects and prohibiting these companies from raising capital on the stock market. The fallout was immediate and devastating. New Oriental Education, a giant in the sector, saw its market value plummet by 83% in just 10 months. Tens of thousands of jobs were lost as the entire $100 billion industry collapsed almost overnight.
This wasn’t an isolated event. The CCP also targeted the real estate and tech sectors, leading to massive layoffs across the board. Alibaba, one of China’s most prominent tech companies, laid off more than 10,000 employees, while Country Garden, a major property developer, cut 30,000 jobs. The CCP’s heavy-handed approach, driven by a desire to curb what it saw as excessive wealth accumulation and social inequality, inadvertently fueled the very discontent it sought to control.
As the bailan movement gained momentum, so did youth unemployment. In August 2023, the CCP released data showing that 21.3% of Chinese youth were unemployed—a record high. Faced with these grim numbers, the government did what it often does: it stopped publishing them. This move was typical of the CCP's approach to inconvenient truths—suppressing information rather than addressing the underlying issues.
The reality, however, is that China’s youth are stuck in a vicious cycle. With a shrinking job market and increasingly fierce competition, many young people find themselves trapped in the very 996 work culture they despise. Even as universities continue to churn out millions of graduates each year, there simply aren’t enough jobs to go around. This has led to bizarre outcomes, such as fresh graduates taking on jobs as “full-time children,” where they are paid to spend time with their parents and help with household chores.
China’s youth are not only grappling with economic challenges but also with the long-term consequences of the CCP’s infamous one-child policy. Implemented in 1980 to curb a rapidly growing population, the policy has left China with a demographic crisis. Today, 280 million Chinese citizens are over the age of 60—a number expected to swell to 400 million by 2035. This aging population is a ticking time bomb for China’s economy, as there aren’t enough young people to support the growing number of retirees.
The one-child policy also created a significant gender imbalance, with 35 million more men than women in China. This disparity has exacerbated social tensions and made it even harder for young people to find partners and start families, further contributing to the demographic decline.
The implications of these trends are profound. China’s labor productivity growth, which averaged around 7% per year, has slowed dramatically since 2021. Consumer confidence has plummeted, and retail sales have taken a hit as more young people withdraw from the economy. This reduction in consumer spending is driving deflation, as businesses cut back on production in response to declining demand.
The deflationary spiral is particularly concerning because it’s happening at a time when other major economies are grappling with inflation. China’s struggle to revive domestic demand could lead to a prolonged economic slump, exacerbating youth dissatisfaction and further weakening the CCP’s grip on power.
The bailan movement and the broader discontent among China’s youth represent a significant challenge to the CCP. While the government has tried to address some of these issues by loosening population control measures and encouraging families to have more children, these efforts have had limited success. The deep-seated economic and social problems facing China cannot be solved by simple policy changes.
As China’s youth continue to reject the relentless demands of their society, the CCP faces an uncertain future. The very policies that once drove China’s rapid economic growth are now contributing to a growing sense of alienation and despair among the younger generation. Unless the CCP can find a way to address these underlying issues, the mutiny in China may only grow stronger, with consequences that could reverberate across the globe.
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