提前养老

Imagine a 25-year-old who has mentally clocked out of the rat race and now spends weekends growing herbs, napping at 9 PM, and refusing to answer work messages. That's 提前养老 — 'retiring early' not by becoming rich, but by simply opting out. Unlike hustle culture, this is the art of deliberately living like a retiree while technically still young, treating rest and slowness as quiet rebellion against burnout.

China's intense 996 work culture and a sluggish post-COVID job market left many young people exhausted and disillusioned. With skyrocketing housing costs and fierce competition, some Gen-Z Chinese chose a different answer: not striving harder, but striving less. 提前养老 is the lifestyle version of lying flat (躺平), but with a warmer, cozier aesthetic — think cottage-core routines, early bedtimes, and zero ambition as a personality trait.

年轻人主动放弃内卷，选择慢节奏、低欲望的退休式生活方式。