Get Surfshark VPN at - Enter promo code AINI for 83% off and 3 extra months FREE!
Chinese students are often praised for their work ethic, but that’s not the only reason why they study hard.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:43 Involution, despair, and the making out game
4:36 ty Surfshark
5:48 The making out game (cont)
9:16 Extreme competition and its impact on student life
21:36 Lying flat and the 996 work week
28:09 Conclusion
---xxx---
my gear!
note: below links contain affiliate links that help me out but come at no extra cost to you :)
- camera: sony a6400
- mic: audio technica atr2100x
- tripod: bosch
- editing software: final cut pro
---xxx---
Sources referenced
For this topic, I used a combination of Chinese and English sources, and I’ve split them out so it’s easier to read. Unfortunately, most of the Chinese articles below do not have English translations :(
English sources
Barclay, B. 2022. Involution: The Generation Turning Inward and Away From Xi’s Chinese Dream. Asia Society. [online] Available at:
China launches education industry reforms, November 2021. [online] New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Available at:
‘Involution, Acceleration and the “Making-Out” Game of the Contemporary Chinese Society’ (2021) Translated by M. Jha. Institute of Chinese Studies Dehli. [Online] Available at:
Li, J. 2021. China will teach Xi Jinping Thought to schoolchildren. Quartz.[online] Available at:
Liu, Y.L. 2021. China’s ‘Involuted’ Generation. [online] The New Yorker. Available at:
Nast, C. 2022. The Larger Meaning of China’s Crackdown on School Tutoring. [online] The New Yorker. Available at:
Xi Jinping thought added into curriculum: Ministry of Education, 2021. Global Times. [online] Available at:
Yip, W. 2021. China steps in to regulate brutal ’996’ work culture. BBC News. [online] Available at:
Chinese sources
F Wang 王凡 2021. Chinese youth are torn between ’Involution’ and ’Lying flat’ “内卷”与“躺平”之间挣扎的中国年轻人 BBC 中文 BBC Chinese.
J.J Xu, Z.J Guo, 徐菁菁、郭子介, 2020. ’When GPA is everything: The Prisoner’s Dilemma encountered by youth in China’s top universities’ 绩点为王:中国顶尖高校年轻人的囚徒困境 Sanlian Life Weekly 三联生活周刊, archived via Sohu
The Managers of education: The parents and students who become “involuted“ under the pressures of education! 教育经纪人:教育焦虑下,“被内卷”的父母和孩子们! Zhihu 知乎
Other sources:
Involution analogy made to watching a movie while standing up from TV series “A Love for Dilemma“ (小舍得)
VICE Asia’s coverage on the 996, really insightful video:
BGM
Wish by Diplo ft. Trippie Redd - instrumental
Avenoir prod. Malick
Thanks for watching! 🌱
tags: video essay, cultural commentary, social commentary, internet analysis, analysis video, competition in asia, competition, involution, china student life, china work life, 996 work week, 996, extreme competition, hypercompetition, asian success, asian work ethic, chinese study, chinese study routine, chinese work, success in china, study culture, work culture, chinese life, lying flat, tang ping, burn out, academic burn out, academic pressure, gifted student, smart, hard work, talent, academic merit, academic success, education in china, education, chinese university exams, tiger parent, tsinghua, peking, gaokao, exam pressure, gaokao exam, heng shui high school, sky castle, mina le, madisyn brown, salem tovar, shanspeare, olisunvia, edvasian, aini
1 view
3799
1438
4 weeks ago 00:39:35 1
He QUIT CHESS for college, now he’s TOP 8! WEI YI Podcast
4 weeks ago 00:13:46 1
China and Russia Reject Singapore BRICS Membership!
1 month ago 00:20:25 1
The DEADLY self-cleaning litter boxes that have flooded the market
1 month ago 00:06:20 1
Why we forget the things we learn - 6 Minute English
1 month ago 00:09:23 1
Klimamodelle scheitern an den einfachsten Aufgaben - Klimaschau 201
1 month ago 00:00:39 1
CHINA GIRL STREET FASHION TIKTOK | ✨
1 month ago 00:01:35 1
China gives blistering critique of European Commission over pointing finger at human rights in China
1 month ago 00:09:53 1
Apple Selling iPhone 16 At Discounted Price in China, But No One Is Buying!
1 month ago 00:02:30 1
Iran’s Supreme Leader says US arming Israel to kill civilians reflects Western culture
1 month ago 01:26:40 1
HSBC: The Money Laundering Scandal | Greedy Banks
1 month ago 00:00:45 1
China will grant zero-tariff treatment to LDCs with diplomatic links, including 33 African nations.
1 month ago 00:16:39 1
Tango: The dance that changes everything
1 month ago 00:11:05 1
Argentina Dumps the Dollar for Chinese Yuan: Why Are US Allies Turning Their Back?
1 month ago 00:05:00 1
Japanese Victory Dance in Nanjing
1 month ago 00:02:43 1
Xi speaks on Ukraine, Gaza and Middle East, global governance and fiscal co-op at BRICS in Russia
1 month ago 00:01:08 1
Financial reforms, China-Russia relations in focus as 16th BRICS Summit opens
1 month ago 00:46:20 1
China’s Betting Big On Artificial Intelligence. Could The US Lose The AI Race? | Insight
1 month ago 00:00:27 1
CHINA GIRL STREET FASHION TIKTOK | 🔥
1 month ago 00:00:59 1
Hungarian PM Orban and his wife at Budapest Airport to welcome Xi
1 month ago 00:01:38 1
Hear how Xi appreciates Hungary PM Orban for his firm support in bilateral ties and BRI
1 month ago 00:04:59 2
You Eat Other Animals? | Sci-Fi Comedy Short Film | Vegan Aliens
1 month ago 00:28:24 1
Western Media Urges Public: Believe Our Lies, Not Your Own Eyes Regarding China
1 month ago 00:01:37 1
Hiding In The Blue [meme animation]
1 month ago 00:02:39 1
Updated! Can & Can’t // Action Verbs pt.7/11: Fun English grammar cartoon “WHAT CAN YOU DO?“