A new trend on Chinese social media captures a lifestyle that is decidedly less ambitious: simply getting through daily life. The phrase guoriziren, or "people merely living," describes those who focus their attention on little beyond the day to day.
For young people embracing this mindset, that means stepping away from the pressures of constant competition, performative lifestyles and endless speculation about grand, abstract questions. Instead, they are turning their attention to basics like eating well, sleeping soundly, working steadily and living peacefully.
Followers reject self-imposed pressure and the pursuit of extraordinary achievement. They are less interested in comparing salaries, dwelling on family-of-origin trauma or pushing themselves toward burnout.
It also influences their consumption habits. Rather than scrambling for tickets to music festivals and exhibitions or chasing the latest expensive restaurants, they might simply stroll through a local wet market. For "people merely living," rational consumption replaces conspicuous consumption, while external judgment matters less.
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