Browsing short-form video platforms like Youtube Shorts, Instagram Reels, or Tiktok in 2024, you might have stumbled upon the strange sight of Chinese young adults perched on their bed frames, calling out hoarse-voiced bird songs.

This trend, called 当鸟 (dāngniǎo) involves gripping a bed frame or other support with your fingers while your legs are tucked in front of you underneath an oversized shirt. This gives the appearance of your hands being bird feet and your legs ceasing to exist.

Accompanied by silly songs and off-key bird calls, the absurdist nature of this trend belies its true cultural relevance. Clues as to the meaning behind this meme can be found in one of the earlier and most popular renditions of this meme, posted on Douyin on May 15, 2024 by user 无所事事的π先生 (Mr. Do Nothing Pi).

The caption in Chinese reads: “I’m not studying anymore, I’ve become a bird,” while the English alternative caption reads “Screw it, I’m just gonna go with the flow.”

Mr. Do Nothing expresses his frustration with his studies, and ironically broadcasts his intention to seek a simpler life “going with the flow” as a bird.

当鸟 memes found its audience not only at home in China, but also abroad, where this strange manifestation of youth angst was reported in outlets such as the NYT and the Guardian as part of a larger trend of frustration with Chinese work culture among the nation’s youth.

The New York Times cited Dr. Xiang Bao of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, who says that as the Chinese economy slows, its youth are seeing their future fade away and the promised fruits of meritocracy slip from their grasp. The resulting disillusionment has fueled a number of cultural moments which share a resemblance with 当鸟.

当鸟 in Context: Burnout and Disillusionment in Chinese Work Culture

One can’t discuss Chinese work culture without discussing the “996” schedule, used to describe working from 9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week. This is a practice especially prevalent at big companies that fuel China’s growing technology and financial services sector.

This grueling work schedule has combined with diminishing youth prospects to fan the flames of disillusionment.
Chinese young adults today face higher home prices and lower homeownership rates, especially in large expensive metro areas like Shenzhen, where the average home costs 43 times median annual income.

The employment situation provides little comfort, with an economic slowdown and increasing competition in the job market leaving many college graduates unemployed. In fact, when the 16-24 youth unemployment figure reached a high of 21.3% in June 2023, western onlookers noted that the Chinese statistics bureau had ceased publishing the figure (it has since resumed, with an updated formula.)

There is a growing perception that regardless of how hard you work to earn an education or find a job, you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle through your whole life.
It is against this backdrop that movements like “Laying Flat” 躺平(tǎngpíng), and “Display Rottenness” 摆烂(bǎilàn) have their roots.

Comparing with “Laying Flat” 躺平(tǎngpíng), and “Display Rottenness” 摆烂(bǎilàn):

躺平 speaks of relaxation and inaction as a means of rebelling against a society which valorizes sweat and hard work, but doesn’t seem to be giving much in return.
摆烂 actively endorses apathy, advocating for letting things degrade when you see issues, rather than expending your own energy to intervene.

Although the 躺平(tǎngpíng) and 摆烂(bǎilàn) movements mentioned previously share an end goal with 当鸟 of removing oneself from the endless grind of Chinese work culture, they have a distinctly nihilistic flavor. They advocate for rejecting that which society deems valuable such as hard work and material wealth, and even rejecting your perceived duty to perform your best in work and school contexts.

On the other hand, 当鸟 has a more aspirational air to it, with students embracing a moment of light-hearted, absurd joy as a means of combating the troubles of their life and imagining a simpler yet more meaningful existence.

The New York Times quotes an interviewed student Wang Weihan, who states that “Birds can fly free and aimlessly in the sky,” and that they portray “the innate desire within every person for freedom.”

Conclusion

Although this meme of “Becoming a Bird” 当鸟 has spread beyond its original purpose as an outlet for student anxieties, such as this child on Douyin presumably not besieged by the anxieties of Chinese work life, it is impossible to remove it from its original context.

Already, we’re seeing Chinese society tackling the issue of youth and labor disillusionment. Some large companies, motivated by the already toxic “996” culture mutating into “007” culture (in which you are are on call 24/7) have implemented mandatory time off and other policies that would have their employees work less.

As the Chinese government and Chinese society continue to navigate the 21st century, memes like 当鸟 and 躺平 serve as cogent and timely reminders to re-evaluate exactly how much should be sacrificed in pursuit of increased productivity and global competition.