October's Wave of Business Closures and Social Security Claims: The 'Lying Flat' Generation Faces a Dead End

Following the eleven-day holiday, many small businesses across China are facing a wave of closures. (Video Screenshot)

[People News] Throughout October, a plethora of videos have emerged online, with numerous bloggers expressing their despair upon returning to their workplaces after the holiday, only to find the doors locked, their bosses missing, and their salaries and jobs suddenly gone. They are left wondering how to manage this month's rent.

In recent years, it has become a common occurrence that after every long holiday, there is a spike in the number of small and medium-sized enterprises and factories shutting down, with owners disappearing.

For many workers who depend on their jobs for survival, the end of the holiday should have marked their return to work. Instead, they are confronted with the harsh reality of 'empty offices, removed machinery, and unpaid wages for several months.' This situation is indeed a heavy blow.

Many individuals have taken to social media to share videos of their distress and confusion, highlighting that the entire Chinese economy appears to be in an almost irreversible crisis.

Breakdown of the Capital Chain and Intentional Evasion

Numerous small and micro enterprises have endured several years of hardship due to a sluggish economy, dwindling orders, and drained cash flow. The decision to flee during the long holiday is often a strategy employed by some unscrupulous business owners to buy time, quietly liquidating assets or relocating equipment while the premises are unguarded, thus evading unpaid wages to employees, debts to suppliers, and legal responsibilities.

Disparities in Labour Rights Protection

When confronted with sudden business closures and disappearances, grassroots workers often find themselves without sufficient living expenses to sustain themselves for a while. Additionally, they lack adequate legal resources and time to respond in order to assert their legitimate rights. Although labour laws clearly state that wages and severance pay must be provided, many individuals face the predicament of 'distant water cannot quench nearby fire' when dealing with absent employers and the cumbersome processes of judicial and labour arbitration, making even basic living expenses a challenge.

The domino effect of a sluggish job market

The number of unemployed individuals has surged dramatically in a short time, creating intense competition among job seekers for limited opportunities and heightening overall societal anxiety. When job opportunities are scarce and living costs remain high, and authorities compel individuals to pay social insurance with legal penalties for non-compliance, unemployment often results in not only a loss of income but also a profound sense of uncertainty and pressure regarding the future.

In the face of such abrupt changes, many people feel lost and helpless, finding no solutions other than to express their frustrations online.

The 'lying flat' movement in mainland China: confronting 'shared anxiety'

On October 31, Polish Member of the European Parliament Dominik Tarczyński strongly asserted in an interview with the American Fox News program that Poland is currently witnessing a coup orchestrated by globalists. He also cautioned American voters that choosing socialism equates to choosing 'death, slavery, and loss of freedom.'

He expressed that his family has been resisting communism for three generations and has a clear understanding of what communism entails: "Communism means hunger, death, and slavery. They treat people as slaves."

During the program, he urged Americans not to vote for communism or socialism in the upcoming midterm elections. He stated, "Socialism means death, slavery, and a complete lack of freedom. Please do not go down this path. Do not endure 70 years of occupation like Poland did. Do you understand what socialism is? It means everyone is equal, which translates to everyone being equally hungry. That is what we have lived through."

For many young and middle-aged individuals on the mainland currently facing economic decline, unemployment, and salary reductions, hearing Tarqinski's remark that "socialism means everyone is equal—equally hungry" would likely strike a deep chord within them.

At present, numerous middle-aged individuals in China are grappling with layoffs, unemployment, mortgage pressures, and the responsibilities of caring for both the elderly and children. They have suddenly come to realise that the CCP's claims of "long-term leadership" have no direct connection to their job security. In fact, the more the government emphasises a "strong motherland," the more they feel the path ahead is daunting, as their entire family relies on their wages to buy food. Meanwhile, the authorities are intensifying pressure by mandating social insurance contributions. Consequently, they, along with many unemployed individuals, find themselves in a state of collective helplessness, where "everyone is becoming poorer together, bearing the burdens of the system together." When they voice their despair for a way out, no officials seem to pay attention to their cries.

In the face of 'graduating to unemployment,' a highly volatile job market, and meagre wages, young people are increasingly becoming immune to, or even resentful of, calls for 'concentrating efforts to accomplish great things' or 'collectivism.' This sentiment is particularly strong when they find themselves unable to secure jobs in other cities, having depleted their savings, facing hunger, sleeping on the streets, and struggling at the brink of survival. Under such immense pressure, any ideological propaganda, no matter how grandiloquent, seems pale and ineffective, failing to ignite even a spark of hope within them.

When such a vast army of unemployed individuals confronts survival challenges, the phenomenon of 'lying flat' is not a sign of laziness. Instead, it represents a form of silent protest against a massive authoritarian system and its iron grip, where even their cries for help are closely monitored and silenced. The only recourse left for them is to resist quietly by lying flat—refusing to cooperate, abstaining from consumption, not purchasing homes or cars, avoiding relationships, marriage, and parenthood.

Some may come to realise that their ability to 'choose how to live' has been drastically curtailed. This situation is not just a 'loss of freedom'; it can be described as reaching a dead end, with a future that appears bleak and devoid of hope.

November 1st marks a turning point! Is the party media rushing to put out the flames? Is China facing turmoil by the end of the year? (video) 

Resignation and Self-Mockery

Most people might only respond with a bitter laugh and self-deprecation. In the current climate of 'large-scale layoffs', 'middle-aged unemployment', and 'high youth unemployment rates', many struggle to maintain even a basic standard of living. What is even more disappointing for them is that Taiwanese citizens can vote to elect mayors and presidents whom they believe will genuinely care for their welfare. In stark contrast, mainland Chinese citizens do not even dare to consider changing their government or leadership, as those who entertain such thoughts are viewed by the authorities as committing the crime of 'subverting state power', making them the regime's greatest enemies, and the Communist Party's iron fist will come down heavily upon them.

Of course, a small number of individuals still attribute the harmful discourse surrounding socialism to the 'slander of Western anti-China forces', but under the pressure of personal economic hardship, such sentiments are currently not easily met with positive responses on Chinese social media.

In summary, the remarks made by Polish lawyer Tarczyński act as a mirror for the struggling young and middle-aged individuals in China. His comments, which summarise the dangers of communism, come from a Western politician who, while facing the chaos caused by the encroachment of socialist ideology and the influence of 'political correctness' in his own country, would not anticipate that his words would resonate so deeply with the contemporary Chinese people's profound despair and bitterness regarding the oppression of the authoritarian regime, economic struggles, and their lack of control over their own destinies.

(First published in People News) △