The authoritarian political system of China allows Beijing to enforce strict discipline. News about the Asian nation that reaches global audiences is heavily filtered because of one of the world’s most extensive and restrictive censorship regimes. The Communist Party of China (CPC) exerts tight control over all kinds of media, including television, print, radio and the internet, in order to suppress politically sensitive information, detrimental to its authority.

The New York Times recently reported that two Chinese bloggers have been punished for advocating for a life of less work and less pressure. The concerned authorities in Beijing are of the opinion that the social media posts of these two persons have created frustration and despair among people. The Xi Jinping Administration has also blocked selected social media accounts in an attempt to prevent the younger generation from becoming inactive after engaging with negative posts.

In the last week of September 2025, the Internet Regulator of China declared a two-month nationwide campaign to curb online contents that promote violent or hostile sentiment in society. It has also decided not to spare pessimistic comments about the slowing economy. As part of this campaign, posts and accounts that might cause frustration are being either deleted or terminated. One of the two bloggers who have been punished for questioning the work culture in China reportedly said that “it made financial sense not to marry and have children”, while the other stressed that “China still lags behind Western countries in terms of quality of life“. Their excessively pessimistic views irked Beijing.

In an editorial published on September 23, 2025, the China Central Television (CCTV), a state-run media outlet, mentioned: “In reality, we all experience fatigue and anxiety as a result of work and life, but these real emotions deserve respect and should not be deliberately amplified for traffic. The internet is not a dumping ground for negativity.” The Chinese Administration believes that the pessimistic posts circulating on social media send a message of disrespect to hard-working people, apart from dividing them on the basis of gender or other identities and glorifying self-harm and violence.

There is very little room for dissent in the one-party system of China. Ministers and bureaucrats have disappeared or been dismissed after falling out of favour with the CPC, a practice often publicly justified as part of an anti-corruption campaign. While specific cases are often attributed to corruption, analysts frequently describe these moves as political purges designed to eliminate rivals and consolidate power under President Xi.

According to The New York Times, “In recent years, some young people have opted out of the rat race in favour of a minimal life of lying flat or given up on goals altogether and letting it rot. The accounts of two bloggers known for promoting a minimal ‘lying flat’ lifestyle were blocked from adding followers late last month.” In fact, a large section of the youth population wants their workload to be reduced. They are also willing to sacrifice their ambition or luxurious life for this.

However, the Xi Administration fears that productivity would suffer, if the youths suddenly become inactive and demand a reduced workload. As China wants to maintain its economic strength in order to compete with the US, the Government has decided to punish the pessimists and to help people to overcome depression. President Xi has sent a clear message to his countrymen: Don’t spread malaise.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das