Amidst policy dilemmas, Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping may have embraced China’s “lying flat” trend, according to experts. They point to signs in Chinese economic policies, propaganda coverage, and military personnel changes after a major party conference in mid-July.
“Lying flat,” or “tang ping” in Chinese slang, refers to a passive attitude towards life and work challenges. Shi Shan, a China expert and contributor to The Epoch Times, emphasized the importance of observing signs in power dynamics due to the opacity of Chinese politics.
China’s State Council has taken charge of leading the Party’s economic agenda. However, their recent actions contradict Xi’s previous policies. On August 3rd, the CCP’s State Council announced measures aimed at boosting private consumption in China’s service sectors. These measures are similar to those released a year ago but exclude sectors such as education and gaming that Xi had previously prioritized.
Shi believes this policy change undermines Xi’s authority within the CCP and can be seen as a “correction” of his previous policies. Additionally, there have been notable changes in media coverage of Xi since the conclusion of the third plenary session on July 15th. The CCP-controlled People’s Daily has featured Xi only once every few days compared to daily front-page appearances before.
Tang Jingyuan, a China affairs commentator interviewed by The Epoch Times, suggests that these signs indicate others within the Party questioning and challenging Xi’s authority.
The recent personnel changes mirror Mao Zedong’s actions during his final years as he rotated military commanders periodically to prevent any individual or group from gaining too much power. Tang explains that this is necessary for stabilizing power and preventing coups.
The “lying flat” trend has gained traction among local government agencies as well. In 2022, an award was given by a county in southeastern China called the “Lying Flat” award which criticized three local government agencies for their lack of action in governance.
In recent months, some local officials have openly reported abuse and unfair treatment by their superiors on social media platforms—a reflection of their loss of faith in CCP governance according to Li Jun.
Shi sees this trend as politically significant with severe ramifications historically observed at the end of Chinese dynasties when senior leaders decided to abstain from their powers—leading to accelerated collapse.
The trickle-down effect has reached state employees who spend time playing poker games drawing scrutiny from regime media outlets—an outcome partly driven by officials seeing that Xi himself has embraced lying flat while cautiously watching for when he will stand up again—similarly mirroring Mao’s Cultural Revolution strategy after lying flat for several years.