A New Generation Checks Out
In cities across China, a strange and quiet movement is taking hold. It’s not a protest with signs or marches. It’s something much more personal and invisible. A growing number of young Chinese are now proudly calling themselves “rat people.” These individuals, mostly in their twenties, are rejecting the stress, pressure, and expectations of modern life by withdrawing almost completely. They spend their days in bed, rarely leave their homes, and survive on takeout food while scrolling endlessly through their phones.
“I’ve been a rat man for five years,” one netizen commented on Weibo. “I don’t socialize at all.” Others said they can stay in bed for 23 hours a day. Some admitted they only get up to use the bathroom or grab a food delivery left outside their door.
Viral Fame From the Shadows
On social media platforms like Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, and Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of X (formerly Twitter), videos of self-declared “rat people” have gone viral. These short clips show the same pattern: young people wrapped in blankets, curtains drawn, lights dimmed, living in silence and comfort. They scroll, sleep, eat, and repeat.
One popular Douyin user, a 27-year-old blogger, shared her “rat person” routine in a video that received over 45,000 likes. In the clip, she wakes up at 11 a.m., orders coffee, and pretends to be productive. By 2 p.m., she’s asleep again. Around 5 p.m., she gets up to retrieve her delivery. At 7 p.m., she orders dinner, and by 9 p.m., she eats her first and only meal of the day while watching more videos. “God, I think I am even more of a rat than the blogger,” one commenter wrote. “I only eat one meal a day and spend the rest of the time lying down.”
Videos tagged with “rat people” have drawn billions of views in total. Hashtags like #BedAllDay and #ProudRatPerson have flooded Chinese social media. Despite government efforts to suppress some of this content, it continues to resurface under new tags.
From ‘Lying Flat’ to Living Underground
The “rat people” lifestyle builds on an earlier trend in China known as “lying flat,” or tangping. That movement began around 2021 as a form of quiet resistance to the country’s harsh work culture, especially the “996” schedule—working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. Frustrated with long hours and low rewards, many young people decided to opt out. Instead of chasing promotions, marriage, and homeownership, they chose a life of minimum effort and low expectations.
Now, “rat people” are taking that mindset even further. Rather than lying flat, they are going underground, both physically and emotionally. As one online user put it, “You’re still too high-energy for me. I don’t even sit on the sofa. I lie on the bed from the time I wake up and go to the toilet until I have to eat, then I get up to eat and then lie back down.”
These are not isolated cases. The numbers show just how large this movement has become. One report from April noted that content related to “rat people” had been viewed over two billion times across major platforms. In some areas, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, young people are now being seen as a generation that has chosen to drop out instead of compete.
A Broken Promise
The rise of “rat people” reflects a growing feeling among Chinese youth that the system is no longer working. Jobs are hard to find, housing is unaffordable, and education no longer guarantees success.
“Young people see little hope for society and the governments,” said Li Yuanhua, a former professor at Capital Normal University in Beijing. Now based in Australia, he told The Epoch Times, “They express their quiet defiance through this kind of giving up, self-abandonment, and maintaining a lifestyle that meets only their basic daily needs.” He added, “They think, ‘I don’t want to work hard, because hard work won’t make a difference.’”
That sense of hopelessness has real numbers behind it. In March 2025, China’s official youth unemployment rate for ages 16 to 24 was 16.5 percent. This figure excludes anyone who is still in school or has stopped looking for work. In 2023, the number had climbed as high as 21.3 percent before the government stopped releasing data for several months.
“Despite the fierce competition, hope is dwindling,” said Geng Luqi, a former music teacher who now struggles to find work. “A whole generation of young people is battling for limited opportunities.”
When Even Working Isn’t Enough
Even those who do find jobs often face disappointing pay and little job security. In Shenzhen, one of China’s wealthiest cities, a young man working in the public sector said his monthly salary was around 4,000 to 5,000 yuan (about $553 to $692). That is only a third of the city’s average wage, and it is not enough to cover rent, transportation, and basic needs.
“Young people feel trapped,” said the worker, who used the name Allen Guo to protect his identity. “They’re indulging in their phones and downgrading spending.”
Another young woman, Li Mei, told Newsweek that she had not showered in days and hadn’t left her apartment. “Seen the latest property prices?” she asked. “My mum worked 70-hour weeks her entire life and still needed help from my grandparents to buy a tiny flat. What’s the point?”
Escaping to Youth Retirement Villages
Some Gen Zers are fleeing the cities entirely. In China’s countryside, “youth retirement villages” have begun to appear. These are places where young people live at a slower pace, often working remotely or volunteering in exchange for room and board. Activities include painting, gardening, and horseback riding.
A 29-year-old resident at one such village called Guanye described it as “a utopia.” For about $420 per month, less than what he paid for rent in Beijing, he gets a private room, meals, and the freedom to set his own schedule.
Other villages offer morning walks, crafts, and communal games like mahjong. Some residents are burned-out workers taking short breaks. Others have stayed for months or even years.
The Government Pushes Back
The Chinese Communist Party sees this trend as dangerous. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly told young people to be ready to “eat bitterness,” or endure hardship, for the sake of the nation. On May 4, during Youth Day celebrations, he urged them to move to rural areas to help with modernization and development.
The state-run People’s Daily published an article echoing this message. But for many young Chinese, the promises of success through hard work feel hollow. As one ex-“rat person” who returned to work put it, “The government basically told us we’re not even worth counting.”
A Global Echo
This crisis is not limited to China. In the United States, over 4 million Gen Zers are jobless. In both China and the West, many young people are becoming NEETs—Not in Employment, Education, or Training. They are qualified, willing, but unable to find work. And some are now choosing to give up altogether.
“It’s not laziness,” said Advita Patel, a career coach and president of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. “It’s life and direction fatigue. Opting out of life becomes an attractive option to protect your mental health.”
Can Gen Z Bounce Back?
Experts say that this phase does not have to last forever. Psychotherapist Eloise Skinner warned that completely checking out could make it even harder to rejoin the workforce later. “Those who decide not to participate in the process may feel themselves falling behind their peers,” she said.
But she also believes that taking a short break can help. “Try asking yourself: What makes me excited in life? What do I care about most? Which big problems in the world would I like to solve?” Skinner said.
Career coach Leona Burton offers simple advice to young people stuck in this rut: “Start small, but start. Whether it’s a part-time role, starting a side hustle, or just going for a walk, every small step counts.”
She added, “Above all, remember this: you are not behind, you are not broken, and you are not alone.”