Simple Living Chinese Style?

[gimmethesimplelife]

I've run across several articles lately regarding a trend of "lying flat" in China - basically rejecting the 9 AM to 9 PM six days a week that is expected of professionals in Chinese cities - also younger folks are having a very hard time starting out in overpriced Chinese cities due to housing costs (sound familiar?) and some are just cutting back and making due on little, pretty much giving up the rat race.

And this is in a Communist country which I find utterly fascinating! What do you'all make of this? Sound to me light years from Cuba which is the type of Communism that seems less obnoxious to me - no real productivity expected and life on a very slow pace and no one ever expecting you to become wealthy, none of that why aren't you successful BS. In Cuba there would be no need to "lie flat" - Cuba seems to have a different brand of Communism. China's seems more capitalistic to me to the point that even under their social credit system and all the monitoring of their citizens, some people are still walking away, throwing in the towel and saying Nope.

Almost sounds like the 60's/70's Drop Out Of Society thing in the US. Rob

[happystuff]

I haven't heard of this until your post. Sounds very interesting and, I think, similar to many of the simple living ideas and goals. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds in China over the long-run.

[razz]

Feeling a little puzzled why the basic reasons for living simply might be any different than any other country. The approach and choices might be different but lack of money or wanting a quieter life for personal reasons are quite universal, I think.

How are you understanding the approach and choices to simple living as different than yours, Gimme?

[Yppej]

There is so much corruption and so little freedom in China. If I were expected to work hard to make some party insider rich while rights of mine as basic as having children are curtailed I sure wouldn't be positively motivated to participate in that economy. Negatively from fear of destitution maybe.

[gimmethesimplelife]

Feeling a little puzzled why the basic reasons for living simply might be any different than any other country. The approach and choices might be different but lack of money or wanting a quieter life for personal reasons are quite universal, I think.

How are you understanding the approach and choices to simple living as different than yours, Gimme?My take is that China is a very very very different system and a very different way of thinking that we experience in North America. I am against the constant US surveillance - at least to what I see as the extreme to which it is carried out - but in China from what I understand it's markedly worse. Plus we in North America do not - yet - have to contend with a "social credit system" to control our behavior and our lives. To go against the grain of the Chinese society by "living flat" seems much more courageous to me than such would be in North America. I have such respect for these lie flaters, I really do - even as I am making the best money I have ever made in my life - I still have this respect and I (mostly) still live within 80% of my prior standard of living while waiting tables.

In other words, making better money has not changed me all that much - though I do do take away more often from ethnic mom and pop places and I do have a cabinet full of spray on men's cologne from Mexico (similar to Axe). And I am supporting my favorite charity more now, too.

Point of all this though? I am very much impressed with these lie flaters - for having the courage to go against the grain in the very different society that is modern day China. Rob

[gimmethesimplelife]

There is so much corruption and so little freedom in China. If I were expected to work hard to make some party insider rich while rights of mine as basic as having children are curtailed I sure wouldn't be positively motivated to participate in that economy. Negatively from fear of destitution maybe.Seriously, were it me living in China? Were there any way to realistically remain in the countryside, fed, with some access to health care, and a small safe indoors place to sleep - I would not be in Beijing or Shenzen or Shanghai or Wuhan or any other large sprawling Chinese metro.

Under those conditions, it seems slightly freer to me to avoid urban life to begin with if at all possible, but from what I understand many of these urban Chinese migrants had no choice as there was nothing for them to do in the countryside. Perhaps someone who is more familiar with modern Chinese life could chime in? Rob

[ApatheticNoMore]

There is so much corruption and so little freedom in China. If I were expected to work hard to make some party insider rich while rights of mine as basic as having children are curtailed I sure wouldn't be positively motivated to participate in that economy. Negatively from fear of destitution maybe.

This description sounds rather like the U.S., although noone is expected to be positively motivated by some type of common good to participate in the U.S. where that might be a nominal expectation in a nominally communist (really state capitalist) country. Fear of destitution is probably the prime motivator most places even if the party insiders or the oligarchs are the main ones getting rich off it (the exception might be where they have strong pro-social motivations that are somewhat implemented).

There are no restrictions on having children in the U.S.? There isn't much in China anymore either.

[LDAHL]

I've run across several articles lately regarding a trend of "lying flat" in China - basically rejecting the 9 AM to 9 PM six days a week that is expected of professionals in Chinese cities - also younger folks are having a very hard time starting out in overpriced Chinese cities due to housing costs (sound familiar?) and some are just cutting back and making due on little, pretty much giving up the rat race.

And this is in a Communist country which I find utterly fascinating! What do you'all make of this? Sound to me light years from Cuba which is the type of Communism that seems less obnoxious to me - no real productivity expected and life on a very slow pace and no one ever expecting you to become wealthy, none of that why aren't you successful BS. In Cuba there would be no need to "lie flat" - Cuba seems to have a different brand of Communism. China's seems more capitalistic to me to the point that even under their social credit system and all the monitoring of their citizens, some people are still walking away, throwing in the towel and saying Nope.

Almost sounds like the 60's/70's Drop Out Of Society thing in the US. Rob

Looks like those laid back Cubans are demonstrating in the streets.

[razz]

Covid issues and lack of food/employment seem to trigger protests. Did Cuba ever work out a source of supply for the oil needed to supply electricity etc?

[iris lilies]

Looks like those laid back Cubans are demonstrating in the streets.

But different brand of Communism or not, the powers will dispense with those protestors post haste. there wont be any
“___ Lives Matter” support because all of those sign posting people will be hauled off as well.

And we will be left seeing calm compliance in Cuba. Oh, and will see the aforementioned slow pace/peaceful calm lifestyle where healthcare is top of the world because there are no tiered services, everyone gets exactly the same treatment.