The unconventional graduation photos are a response to the ultracompetitive environment that Chinese graduates face as they venture out into the world of work.
With the economy struggling to emerge from three paralyzing years of zero-covid policies, the unemployment rate is high, especially among young people. Some 20 percent of people between ages 16 and 24 are jobless, according to the latest statistics.
At the same time, a record 11.6 million people have just graduated from college. With their prospects looking bleak, some new graduates are adopting a “lying flat” — or “tangping” in Chinese — mentality.
Lying flat calls for getting by with minimum effort, and the buzzword symbolizes a subtle, passive defiance. The mind-set has been publicly denounced and discouraged by the government.
Tangping has emerged as a rallying cry among Chinese millennials and Gen-Z’ers who have had enough of the rat race and want to opt out of China’s intense work culture and the social expectations that come with it.
For some students, posting unconventional graduation photos online is not only a reflection of their mental state, but also one last chance to just have fun with classmates before leaving school.
Brenda Lu, 21, studied media and communication at Nanjing University
“My lying flat is entirely about avoiding a repetitive and meaningless internal friction. It means that I want to choose my own way of life,” said Brenda Lu, a recent graduate of Nanjing University. “It’s not that I lie down and do nothing, but I don’t care too much about other people’s standards in an environment that doesn’t suit me.”
For the 21-year-old, the lying-flat graduation photos are a show of defiance against social expectations and China’s rigid educational system.
“Throughout the three years of pandemic, my classmates were just stuck in the dormitory taking online courses, like being locked up in prison,” she says. “So many people have had no social life for three years and are desperate to find a way out. This year’s job search can only be described as particularly dismal.”
Jessie Hu, 22, studied English at Lanzhou University
After failing to get accepted to grad school, Jessie Hu sent her résumé to five companies earlier this year, but she got nowhere. “I didn’t even pass the first round,” said the 22-year-old, who graduated from Lanzhou University with an English degree.
Hu lay flat on the grass of her campus for her graduation photos, a reflection of feeling overwhelmed by the choices in front of her.
“Most of my peers and I had only one goal in high school, which was to get high scores and go to a good college,” she said. “But when you are graduating from college, there are so many options. Take public servant exams, apply for grad schools, study abroad or go find a job. … You can’t make up your mind because you don’t have a specific goal, so you just get slapped down instead.”
Walnut Liu, 21, studied at Xian University of Posts and Telecommunications
Ever since her freshman year, Walnut Liu has been worrying about getting a job after graduation. Despite having a degree in automation technology, which should position her well for a job at a semiconductor company, she hasn’t had any luck.
“I began to think that I can’t find a good job based on my résumé, so I thought I’d go to graduate school.”
She sent her résumé to about 300 e-commerce companies and eventually got two offers. But she turned them down because they paid only $830 a month.
Her lying-flat graduation photos were partly about fun, partly a reflection of her pandemic college life.
“We didn’t get to experience much,” she said, noting that current students can go to musical festivals and bars. She feels like she missed out. So she’s going to graduate school, and in a field she thinks will be in greater demand: logistics.
Jingying Li, 21, studied financial management at Zhuhai College of Science and Technology
When she saw the first lying-flat graduation photos, Jingying Li was inspired.
“I thought it was very refreshing … really fun and exciting compared with the usual graduation photos,” said the new Zhuhai College of Science and Technology graduate. “Plus, you don’t have to worry about your facial expressions, and it’s nice to take pictures while feeling mentally and physically relaxed.”
Like the other new graduates, Li found her college experience marred by the pandemic. She recently finished an internship as a broadcast host and is trying to remain upbeat even in this difficult job market.
“Negative news is like a stone thrown into the sea: It sinks and disappears,” she said. “You can choose to spend your day happily or unhappily. I choose to be happy.”
Rain Xu, 22, studied digital media art at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University in Hangzhou
Rain Xu and her friends wanted to be part of the graduation photo trend, so they sprawled on auditorium floors and flopped over rows of seats.
“This is what the mind-set of college students looks like nowadays,” she said. “Three years out of our four-year college life, we were in the pandemic. It’s like not having gone to college at all.”
Xu, who studied digital media art, hasn’t found a full-time job yet and will do an internship as a secretary while she looks for a suitable job.
“There are layoffs and the salaries have been dropping,” she said, noting that her friends with jobs are getting paid only $350 a month. “The rent in Hangzhou is so high. How do you live [on that]?”
She’s thinking about studying abroad or graduate school. Her parents want her to take the civil servant exam. As a backup, she has a teaching certificate. “If I can’t do anything right, I think there is still demand for art teachers.”
Dexter Yang, 22, studied theoretical physics at the South China University of Technology
“I think the trend reflects how the years of the pandemic have affected people,” said Dexter Yang, who posed on the ground, covering his face with his graduation cap. Message: The job market is depressing.
“For new graduates, it’s a blow to our confidence, especially when you see layoffs from big companies.”
With a degree in theoretical physics from a prestigious university, the 22-year-old will just stay at school. Perhaps he’ll do a doctorate and become a professor.
Yang still feels conflicted about his choice. He likes studying, but then he sees some graduates getting decent jobs and he inevitably feels envious.
“Of course, the ideal would be to choose what you like, but you also have to eat, right?”