Chinese Pretending To Be Birds Online To Protest Work, Study: Report

In a bizarre scenario, people in China are pretending to be birds on social media to protest against the country's work culture. Video platforms, such as TikTok, have been flooded with videos of young men and women tucking their bodies into oversized t-shirts, perching on furniture, flapping their "wings" and even chirping, Babelfish Asia reported.

The 'bird' trend on Chinese social media symbolises a yearning for freedom. Many users,  exhausted by intense studying or the demanding 996 work culture,  fantasize about escaping the pressure to constantly grind."

"Youth is but a summer dream," a user wrote, while another "chirped" a song of his own: "Can't help but turn into a stubborn bird, against the wind to the end." A third user said in the video, "I don't want to work, I want to be free like a bird."

China's youth have a history of using social media to voice their frustrations with the work culture. The "bird" trend follows in the footsteps of "bai lan" ("let it rot") which emerged in 2022. Originating in the NBA gaming community, "bai lan" signified intentionally losing a game with low winning chances, but morphed into a broader symbol of discontent with demanding work expectations.

Meanwhile, stressed-out young professionals in China are turning to a new desk buddy: the banana plant. This quirky trend, known as "stop banana green" (ting zhi jiao lu in Mandarin, which translates to "stop anxiety"), involves cultivating bananas right on their desks. 

China's long workweeks (often exceeding 49 hours) have young professionals searching for innovative stress-reduction methods. Last month, Xiaohongshu saw the viral rise of the "20-minute park effect," emphasizing the benefits of short urban park visits. Additionally, tree-hugging emerged as a popular stress reliever among Chinese youth last year.