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A 29-year-old man who has been living in a tent in an abandoned parking
lot for 200 days has become the newest symbol of China’s increasingly
popular ‘lying down’ culture.
At the end of 2018, Li Shu quit his job in Sichuan Province and began
spending most of his time chilling in his rented apartment. The
29-year-old quickly realized that, with no income whatsoever, he would
quickly go through all his savings, so he cut his daily expenses to just
10 yuan ($1.5) per day. Even so, after years of having to pay rent, it
became painfully obvious that he would either have to find a way to make
money or move out. Since the first option wasn’t even considered, he
sold most of his belongings, bought a 400 yuan ($57), and decided to
continue his relaxed lifestyle in the great outdoors, among the debris
of an abandoned parking lot. He has been living there for 200 days, and
has no plans of joining the rat race of life anytime soon.
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To most people, Li’s existence can’t even be called living. His
second-hand tent is his most valuable possession, he lives on cheap food
like noodles and dumplings, occasionally using his basic cooking stove
to make beef hot pot and potato-and-egg pancakes, and has to walk a long
way to find water and charge his phone battery. But Li makes it very
clear that this was a conscious life choice that he is very happy with.
“It’s my choice,” Li said. “When you let go of unfulfilling pursuits in
life, you will slowly feel peace and become used to changed
circumstances. It’s relaxing.”
The young man told Chinese reporters that he is perfectly capable of
finding employment, in fact, and his friends have repeatedly tried to
find him better accommodation and even loan him money to start a small
business, but he doesn’t want any of that. He enjoys his simple, frugal
way of life and the constant relaxation it provides.
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A note on the side of Li Shu’s tent in the abandoned parking lot kindly
asks passers-by to respect his property, pointing out that the tent
itself is the most valuable thing there anyway. He also humbly
apologizes if he inconveniences anyone and makes it clear that he can
relocate somewhere else.
Li’s story once again brought China’s growing “lying down” movement into
the spotlight. Seen by many as a response to China’s increasingly toxic
and overly competitive workplace culture, “lying down” is mostly popular
with youths who choose to do the bare minimum to get by, instead of
striving for financial and professional success.
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