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Professor Biao Xiang, a 54-year-old anthropologist, has become an unlikely idol for young people in China by speaking openly about anxiety and how to navigate it, according to the BBC.
Some 500 people, mostly members of the Chinese diaspora, recently gathered in Singapore to hear Xiang speak in Mandarin. After his lecture, dozens queued to meet him and take photographs, in what one attendee described as an “academic fan meeting”.
China’s rapid economic and technological development has brought growing uncertainty for many members of Generation Z, including concerns about employment, relationships and the pressure to keep pace with society.
“The transition from school to the real world brings a lot of uncertainty now,” a 23-year-old Chinese graduate told the BBC, declining to give her name because she feared that speaking to foreign media could affect her job prospects in China. “People need an anchor in their life. And his words make us feel there is someone that gets me.”
Why young Chinese people are listening
Xiang has appeared in major Chinese media outlets and spoken at leading universities, including Peking University. One of his lectures earlier this year was livestreamed after the venue reached capacity. Chinese media have popularised the phrase, “When in doubt, ask Biao Xiang.”
In Singapore, he discussed how young people seek recognition through systems such as competitive examinations and stable employment. He argued that relying on institutional approval as a measure of self-worth can be exhausting and damaging.
Instead, Xiang encouraged people to seek meaning and understanding through their relationships with others and use those experiences to better understand themselves.
“Everyone knows where the issue is, but they are reluctant to look at it,” Xiang told the BBC over tea in Singapore. “But as an academic, it is not terrifying if you can describe it – that’s how you analyse and manage it.”
Anxiety in a changing society
Xiang, who lives in Germany and directs the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, studies social change in China and other parts of Asia. He believes Chinese society is at a “turning point” as people try to find meaning amid rapid social and economic change.
He describes people working relentlessly simply to survive as “floating”, comparing them to hummingbirds that must keep flapping their wings to remain in the air. He also uses the term “the nearby” to describe the immediate social world that he believes is often neglected between attention focused on the self and the wider world.
His ideas have resonated with young users online. One RedNote user praised his focus on vulnerable people and his willingness to link personal stress to broader social causes. Another said Xiang avoided empty optimism and instead confronted everyday dilemmas directly.
China’s economy slowed during the Covid period and has not fully recovered, according to the report. The previous expectation that hard work would lead to a secure job no longer appears reliable, Xiang said.
Youth unemployment reached 21.3% before the Chinese government stopped publishing the figure in mid-2023. Civil servants, corporate employees and engineers also worry about job security, while many workers complain online about long hours, unhealthy workplace culture and the so-called “curse of 35”, referring to the difficulty of finding new work after that age.
Competition, housing and education
Xiang says the property market and higher education system have intensified pressure. Rising home values linked family security and social status to property, while the rapid expansion of university enrolment increased competition for desirable jobs.
As a result, many people follow the same expected path: earn a good degree, find stable employment, marry and buy a home. “When 1.4 billion people are all in the same race, that is involution,” Xiang said.
Terms such as “lying flat”, describing withdrawal from intense competition, and “involution”, referring to competition that produces little meaningful reward, have become common in discussions of the pressure facing young Chinese people.
Xiang said he realised the scale of his public profile about three years ago, after a digital-nomad camp increased its prices following his appearance there. Some academic colleagues have criticised his approach or warned him to protect his reputation.
He said, however, that he welcomed being described as an influencer. “Because the real influence I can have is to make people think for themselves,” Xiang said.
