Hard work is a point of pride in China. But a culture of slacking off is now in vogue
Younger workers are questioning the benefits of the daily grind as they face worsening prospects. The rise of "Sang culture" embodies the frustration and soul-crushing weariness.
This story is adapted from the latest episode of Rough Translation. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or NPR One.
About four years ago in Beijing, a colleague dragged me out from behind my computer, where I had been laboring as a cub reporter.
She wanted to show me a trendy new bubble tea shop called Sung Tea, which celebrates the nihilistic attitude of China's post-'80s generation with fatalistically named drinks — names such as "Work Overtime with No Hope of a Pay Raise Green Tea" (perhaps too on the nose that day) and "My Ex Is Doing Better Than Me Black Tea."
The brand is a pun on the Chinese character Sang, which literally means "mourning." Sang has taken meant to contain the coronavirus as well as that have, especially in the.
