China’s newest wave of youth rebellion is unfolding not on the streets but in bedrooms, sofas, and the dim glow of smartphone screens. The millennial mantra of “work hard, play harder”, and its corporate-friendly “girlboss” counterpart, has crumbled under the weight of burnout, economic stagnation, and disillusionment. In its place, a distinctly Gen Z form of protest has emerged, the rise of China’s self-declared “rat people.”
Across social media platforms like Weibo, RedNote and Douyin, young adults are proudly showcasing an identity rooted in deliberate inactivity, spending entire days lying in bed, scrolling, napping, ordering takeaway, and resisting the relentless pressures of study and work. What looks like lethargy on the surface is, in fact, a symbolic and deeply personal pushback against a system they believe has failed them.
The ‘Rat People’ routine
One of the most recognisable faces of this movement is the Douyin creator @jiawensishi, whose satirical videos detail her “domestic rat” lifestyle. In a widely shared clip that attracted hundreds of thousands of likes, she wakes at midday, doom-scrolls until 3 p.m., shifts briefly to the sofa to continue scrolling, and then returns to bed before 8 p.m. for a night of napping and more scrolling. Her routine, intended as parody, resonated far beyond her expectations. Commenters responded not with judgement, but admiration, and even envy.
“You’re still too high-energy for me,” one viewer confessed. “I lie on the bed from the time I wake up until I eat, then lie back down. I can live like this for a week without going out.” Others admitted they had gone several days without bathing, ate only one meal a day, and barely left their homes. Such comments, though humorous, reflect a generation overwhelmed by fatigue and uncertainty.
A New phase of burnout politics
This isn’t the first youth-led pushback against China’s gruelling work culture. In 2021, the “lying flat” (tang ping) movement captured global attention as thousands of young Chinese rejected the notorious 996 schedule, working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. Instead of striving for promotions or property, they embraced minimalism and rest. “Rat people” take that resistance further. If “lying flat” was passive refusal, “rat living” is a full withdrawal, a symbolic retreat from a system viewed as both exploitative and indifferent. The movement’s popularity reflects the deeper crisis facing China’s youth. Booming for decades, the economy is now slowing. College graduates face record unemployment. Housing costs remain punishing. Competition is fierce, wages are stagnant, and future prospects are shrinking. For many young Chinese, burning out is not a risk but a reality.
The “rat people” trend follows another unusual youth expression that made headlines last year: the “bird people” phenomenon, where young Chinese tucked themselves into oversized T-shirts, perched on furniture, flapped imaginary wings, and chirped, symbolising their desire to be free of academic and professional pressures. “I don’t want to work, I want to be free like a bird,” one participant said while hopping on a chair. Another wrote: “Youth is but a summer dream,” echoing the sense of impermanence that shadows their ambitions. Both the “birds” and the “rats” are united by a symbolic escape from a future they no longer believe is within reach.
A global generation saying ‘Enough’
China’s Gen Z isn’t alone. Worldwide, the youngest generation is turning away from the hustle culture that defined the early 2000s. In the U.S. and Europe, movements like Bare Minimum Mondays, quiet quitting, and the rise of NEETs (“not in employment, education, or training”) mark similar shifts. Gen Z, the most educated generation in history, is also the most economically squeezed.
To outsiders, calling oneself a “rat” might seem bleak, yet for China’s Gen Z, it is an act of ownership. A refusal. A declaration that endless work for diminishing returns is no longer a bargain worth making. Their protest doesn’t come with barricades or slogans. It comes with bedsheets, blue light screens, and a quiet decision to stop participating in a race they believe was rigged from the start. In a country long defined by speed, ambition, and sacrifice, the most radical thing China’s youth can do is simple, nothing at all.
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