Overtime struggles resonate with young Chinese
“Ihaven’t removed my makeup in 18 days, my monthly contact lenses have been in for two and a half years, my biological clock is in total disorder, yet I’m getting fatter than ever.” A newly released Chinese chorus song called “My body is hollowed out” with the English title “So far, the sofa is so far,” describing the exhaustion of young Chinese office workers, has gone viral.
The song has showed the true life stories of a large swath of Chinese employees. Especially the part after a few lines of whining and complaining about how young workers are dead on their feet, the chorus continued: “Who needs sleep? What a waste of time! Who wants to eat? Powerpoint is a vitamin. I love my works, it makes me grow.”
To an older generation that once labored all day in the fields or in the factory line, an office job, complete with chairs and air-conditioning, might not seem like such a struggle. But between long hours in the office, abusive employers, wages that struggle to keep up with the city’s inflation, and the fierce daily commutes, young Chinese have it tougher than their parents might think.
Many friends of mine told me they laughed and cried all the way while listening to the song. I get it, because over the years I have heard too much about their crazy workload and how they are worn-out from coming and going during rush hours in the morning sunlight and trudging home at night under the stars, heading between the fifth ring-road in the east side of the city, where they live, and the third ring road in the west, where they work. But what is hard to digest is that they still love their jobs and accept overtime with a whole heart despite all the grumbles about it.
Almost all decisions in life demand a trade-off between pros and cons. And there is no way other than a difficult present that can lead to a satisfying future in return. Extra working hours are seen by many of us as the price we have to pay for success.
I always envy a friend of mine, a reporter for a travel magazine, for she seems to have endless chances to see the world, enjoy fancy restaurants and five-star hotels, and make friends with CEOs and celebrities during her journeys. Yet one day, she said, “How I wish I could live in the luxurious version of life you imagined!”
I realized she works over 17 hours a day, and working overtime has long become routine. When asked why she works so hard, her answer couldn’t be simpler. She needs to make money. But she says she also gets a kick from improving herself and she is considering writing a book while still in her 20s.
People have all kinds of reasons to work extra hours. But money almost always tops the list – money to pay off mortgages, cover living expenses, promote a better living standard for retired parents, and pay for kids’ classes, textbooks, and their piano and hockey lessons.
Granted, other types of overtime, including work caused by procrastination, unnecessary mistakes or simply posturing for the bosses, which run counter to every definition of efficiencies should not be overlooked. It’s really time for these people to soberly face the question – how much time can they afford to waste when an increasing number of young people are actually improving their skills day by day in this highly competitive era?
Yesterday, I saw my reporter friend shared the song “So far, the sofa is so far” on her Wechat, adding that she felt she had more strength to work extra hours after hearing it. Honestly, I don’t encourage working insane amounts of overtime, but I cannot help but be proud of her – as long as she can balance her ambitions against her own life and health.