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“Kong Yiji literature” emerged as a self-deprecating meme amongst younger Chinese language netizens who joke that their tutorial credentials have made them “unemployable,” too overeducated or overqualified for the roles presently accessible. They liken themselves to the titular protagonist of Lu Xun’s 1918 quick story “Kong Yiji,” an impoverished scholar whose pedantic airs are mocked by the denizens of the tavern he frequents. After Kong Yiji’s legs are damaged as punishment for stealing books, he drags himself into the tavern for one final drink, disappears, and is presumed lifeless—not that anybody round him appears to care. Lu Xun’s quick story was a blistering critique of what he noticed because the ills afflicting early twentieth-century Chinese language society: the inflexible and outdated imperial examination system, the destruction of the mental class, and an apathetic citizenry detached to the struggling of others.
Whereas the current iteration of “Kong Yiji literature” is extra light-hearted than its namesake, it does communicate to a number of the issues of in the present day: youth unemployment, city poverty, restricted socioeconomic mobility, and a hyper-competitive academic system that will not put together college students for a profession after commencement. “Once I first learn the story,” defined one younger netizen, “I didn’t actually perceive it. However now I’ve become the protagonist!” One other commented: “Everybody says a level is a stepping stone, however I’m slowly coming to appreciate it’s extra like a pedestal I can’t get down from, very similar to Kong Yiji couldn’t get out of his ‘scholar’s robes.’” “If I weren’t so educated, I may discover another sort of work to do,” lamented one other, “however no, I simply had to go and get an schooling!”
In mid-March, the “Kong Yiji literature” meme noticed a resurgence after a joint social media put up from the Communist Celebration Youth League and state broadcaster CCTV prompted a backlash for accusing unemployed or underemployed college graduates of being overly choosy and having an aversion to exhausting work. Livid netizens hit again, accusing the writer of the put up “Going through As much as the Anxiousness Behind ‘Kong Yiji Literature’” of misconstruing each the meme and Lu Xun’s unique quick story, and of gaslighting younger folks struggling in a genuinely robust job market. As RFA reported, many readers took challenge with the smug, preachy tone of the put up:
The Youth League and CCTV put up […declared] that “the worth of educational {qualifications} can solely be realized when one’s potential is absolutely explored in artistic, sensible actions.”
“The explanation why Kong Yiji fell into his predicament wasn’t due to his studying, however as a result of he couldn’t let go of the airs of a scholar and was unwilling to alter his scenario by means of labor,” the CCTV and Youth League put up mentioned.
“The scholar’s lengthy robe can shackle the thoughts, and non permanent difficulties don’t equal a lifetime of failure,” it mentioned.
It was picked up in copycat editorials and quick movies following the identical line, together with one quick video on Bilibili wherein a younger lady is proven making deliveries to a house and eradicating packaging, whereas musing that having a level shouldn’t “shackle” the thoughts. [Source]
The Weibo put up was inundated with essential feedback, however these have been quickly censored, leaving solely the favorable feedback seen. Some Weibo customers acquired round this by forwarding variations of the put up in order that readers may go away feedback. CDT Chinese language editors have archived a number of the feedback left on Weibo and Zhihu, a choice of that are translated beneath:
Chosen Weibo feedback:
仙女甜了酱：The writer praises increased schooling, whereas criticizing college students for not abandoning their aspirations. He raises the bar for “mendacity flat” [slacking off], whereas additionally mocking “small city test-takers” [ambitious students from humble backgrounds]. Since when did the information media turn out to be so smug?
死不油腻：What I actually wish to know is that this: if Mr. Lu Xun may hear about this put up from his grave, what would he need to say about CCTV?
勵志天下9_601：Chalking up Kong Yiji’s tragic destiny to his private failings with out even contemplating social components, and utilizing this to lob implicit criticism at in the present day’s educated youth is not only ignorant and superficial, however malevolent.
Chosen Zhihu feedback:
我到不了：So Lu Xun wrote “Kong Yiji” as a critique of Kong Yiji? And right here I believed it was a critique of the decadent previous society! […] In Lu Xun’s works, the widespread individuals are apathetic, however Lu Xun by no means blamed that apathy on the widespread folks themselves.
我在中间应当休息：Not this once more! The clever previous writer of this put up is really a grasp of feigned ignorance. Do you suppose that when Lu Xun wrote “Kong Yiji,” he meant it as a satire of Kong Yiji himself, or was it a satire of society at the moment? […] You state media sorts spend your days dealing with the wealthy and highly effective with child gloves, however you’ve got the nerve to sneer at younger folks for not working exhausting sufficient?
无产者：Let me translate this put up into the language of [Lu Xun’s] quick story: the uncommon few who can afford to wine and dine within the tavern’s unique non-public room are superior to the lots. But those that stint at nothing to achieve an schooling and the fitting to put on a “scholar’s robe” must be criticized. After which, shamelessly, you ask them: “Hey, how come you aren’t keen to change that scholar’s robe for a brief tunic, and go be a part of the guide laborers?” [Chinese]
Regardless of heavy remark censorship, the CCTV put up continued to generate controversy, with many on-line commentators and essayists weighing in. An essay revealed on the WeChat account 非虚构故事 (Feixugou Gushi, “Non-fiction Tales”) criticized the CCTV put up for its condescending tone and failure to acknowledge financial realities. The writer famous that in 2023, China will add practically 11.6 million new college graduates to the job market, a rise of 820,000 from 2022. And in Beijing, the variety of graduate college students (in each grasp’s and doctoral applications) surpassed the variety of undergraduates for the very first time. A brief excerpt from the essay:
Younger folks aren’t silly, and everyone seems to be nicely conscious that state media has its personal agenda. Within the present financial downturn, many enterprises—notably non-public firms—are struggling. The job market has shrunk considerably, and it can not take in the entire current school graduates.
This can be a structural social drawback. However state media, ignoring the elephant within the room, paints it as an alternative as a private drawback: if you happen to can’t discover sufficient jobs, it should be your personal fault, and don’t blame society.
[…] As one netizen commented: “Training has made me dissatisfied with the established order, however has left me powerless to alter it.” [Chinese]
A WeChat essay by 龅牙赵 (Baoya Zhao, “Bucktoothed Zhao”) additionally identified the structural nature of youth unemployment. If college graduates have been to decrease their requirements and start taking guide labor jobs, as prompt by the controversial CCTV put up, they’d crowd out these presently working in guide labor. The writer makes use of two fictional characters—Lu Xun’s Kong Yiji, and Camel Xiangzi, the protagonist of Lao She’s novel “Rickshaw Boy”—as stand-ins for white-collar and blue-collar staff, respectively:
All of us perceive the explanation behind asking Kong Yiji to doff his scholar’s robe and go pull a rickshaw. It’s a solution to resolve the issue of numerous unemployed Kong Yijis by “guiding” them to interact in jobs that don’t have anything to do with their majors or tutorial credentials.
However you’ll be able to’t simply water down Camel Xiangzi’s already-thin gruel so as to resolve Kong Yiji’s unemployment drawback.
Kong Yiji can resolve to take off his scholar’s robe and pull a rickshaw, however the place does that go away Camel Xiangzi? [Chinese]
The wealthy number of “Kong Yiji literature” memes embrace a musical model and a manga model that envisions Kong Yiji as an engineering school graduate barely eking out a dwelling in a contemporary “city village.” Whereas the narrator of Lu Xun’s quick story was a boy who labored within the native tavern, the narrator within the manga is the son of a landlord who rents a room to Kong Yiji. And whereas Kong Yiji was brutally crushed and sure died in Lu Xun’s tragic story, within the modern-day manga model, Kong Yiji merely slinks again to his hometown, behind in his hire and unable to make a go of life within the massive metropolis. A number of panels of the manga are translated beneath:
Right here within the imperial capital, the rental scenario is completely different from different locations: all you may get for 1,000 yuan a month is a room in an illegally-constructed constructing in an “city village,” far exterior town correct.
My father mentioned I used to be born silly, and didn’t have the makings of a scholar.
Fortunately, our household managed to money in in the course of the capital’s “demolition and building” section, so it was sufficient that I may add and subtract and depend cash.
Kong Yiji was the one considered one of our renters ever to reach with a suitcase of books.
Kong Yiji was unwilling to take a job beneath his station, he couldn’t afford to go overseas, and his household didn’t have a lot in the best way of financial savings, so his solely possibility was to attempt his luck on this unfamiliar first-tier metropolis.
Male diner: Kong Yiji, did you actually graduate from a four-year college?
Kong Yiji: After all!
Feminine diner: Then why do you earn lower than Ah Zhen, who didn’t even graduate from main college?
It was solely then I spotted that Kong Yiji hadn’t proven his face round right here in a really very long time.
Fruit-seller: He’s lengthy gone. He went again to his hometown.
[Chinese]
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