Ivy League, 985, and 996: Recognizing Involution and Taking Steps for the Better

At the crack of dawn, students push themselves up from the comfort of their beds and make do with what they can with six hours of sleep. School begins at eight in the morning, but morning training, whether it is volleyball, swimming, or football, is an inescapable morning routine for many. When school begins, every second of lunch break is spent on the third floor in the library, rushing to complete the next period’s homework, last minute revisions for the summative assessments. School finishes at 3, but far from done, we are sent to various extracurricular activities -- Chess, Kung Fu, piano, cello, debate, singing … Then back at home at 7pm, rushing through dinner in 30 minutes, sitting down in front of the desk, and there is homework. If we are unlucky, one more tutoring class is still waiting ahead. A familiar day to all of us. But have you ever asked yourself, “Why am I doing this?”

Involution culture literally translates into “inward curl”, or 内卷 (neijuan) in Chinese. It is a social concept that describes “the experience of being locked in a competition that one ultimately knows is meaningless”, according to Xiang Biao, an anthropologist at the University of Oxford. It originates from the Latin term “involutum”, which originally means “to turn or roll up”. The term was first discussed by authors such as Clifford Geertz and other Indian sinologists. Although the term “involution culture” itself may only have become popular in recent years, it is in fact a term that originates decades ago. The original concept of involution culture was used in agricultural settings, which Clifford Geertz introduced in his book Agricultural Involution, published in 1963. It described the process of the sawah (a type of rice farming) development in Indonesia by increasing intensified internal competition rather than bringing real changes in cultivation. The modern term of “involution culture” was first coined in social media in September 2020, when a video of a student from Beijing’s Tsinghua University riding a bike whilst stud- ying at midnight became popular on Chinese social media. This was followed by the numerous examples on social media, from students staying up to the ticking of the clock and studying for the next day’s tests to workers in the high-tech industry working “996”, which refers to working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week. Since then, the concept of involution has been extensively used to describe today’s prevalent phenomenon of people excessively competing on things (that are often trivial) -- and the result of this involution is that there is no real improvement or evolution.

The involution culture has permeated our lives whether we notice it or not. A recent Chinese television series called “加油妈妈” (jiayoumama) depicted the lives of kindergarten kids who had to commit to extracurricular activities imposed by parents in an attempt to be accepted into prestigious primary schools. Despite the seemingly exaggerated scenes in the show, it in fact depicts the true reality of the young genera- tions. From birth, children enter the rat race that requires them to excel at all aspects in order to achieve the highest level of success compared to those around them. Apart from children, adults are also gradually becoming trapped in the vicious cycle of involution culture. The “996” work schedule of 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week, meaning working 72 hours a week, is not uncommon, especially in places in mainland China. However grueling, they have to clench their teeth and carry on, in order to have a shot at a raise or promotion that may seem insignificant to many. Reactions from the public concerning this work schedule varied. On the supporting end, Chinese business magnate Jack Ma voiced that workers should look at the 996 work schedule as a “huge blessing” that allows them to “achieve the success [one] want[s]”. Richard Liu, founder of an e-commerce company, stated that “slackers are not my brothers”. The media, however, was not in accordance with these views. Beijing Daily directly criticized their statements by saying that “it’s aimed at disguising reduction of salary of lay-off”, and other media condemned the 996 schedule as a complete misinterpretation of what the “hard working” work ethic is.

The involution culture, ironically, has even spread to places that are supposed to be utopian. Dali, a small town in Yunnan, China, is known for being a utopian place with beautiful scenery and a laidback lifestyle. After masses of parents brought their children there over the holidays to take a break from the involution culture at school, the endless cycle of competition found its way there as well. “Interest classes”, which included competitive horse-riding, competitive golfing, competitive logging, and more, were offered to differentiate between the “average” and hours later. In the weeks following this incident, an employee from the same company jumped to his death while visiting his parents. Yet the response from the company did not show any grief or sympathy: “Who hasn’t exchanged their life for money?”

“accomplished” children. Whenever there are people, there is involution – there is no way to escape.

One of involution culture’s most significant impacts on people is mental health. A discussion thread called “985 trash” was created on Chinese social media platform Douban, which refers to a group of 39 prestigious Chinese universities, including Peking University and Tsinghua. The thread discussed how stressed and anxious those students at 985 universities were, how they felt that they were trapped in the vicious cycle of studying and the pressure of being better than others to get better grades, better internships, and better jobs. The impact of the involution culture is also evident here in Hong Kong. In a 2020 survey conducted by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, 52% of the 3,600 secondary school students surveyed reported symptoms of depression. Their top concerns were grades, heavy schoolwork, and too many exams.

Why do we still feel obliged to participate in this vicious cycle of the rat race, despite the amount of stress and anxiety brought by this involution culture, ? A new Chinese TV Series called Dakao (大考), set at the start of the COVID pandemic, sheds light on this question. It detailed the unimaginable efforts students had to put in to receive good results in the Chinese university entrance exam, gaokao, during the pandemic. In the series, a student from an impoverished mountainous area studied for hours everyday, barely sleeping or resting. He saw his efforts as “necessary” and “crucial” to stand out from others, to get the limited resources, to succeed.

“As a student from a poor family, I need to put in even more effort than those from rich families so that I can make my family proud and forever change my fate”, he pledged at the pep rally to mark the 100-day countdown to gaokao. Although dramatized, this is a vivid reflection of the reality of the involution culture.

This is hardly surprising considering nowadays students are mostly defined by their numerical grades. These numerical grades, along with lists of extracurricular activities are often what determines their future. Apart from the struggles of young students, adults also face high levels of mental stress and anxiety. In December of 2020, an employee from the Chinese company Pinduoduo collapsed from mental and physical exhaustion and burnout, dying just

Interestingly, the involution culture not only affects our well-being as individuals, but also changes the world’s stereotypes of us as a collective culture. In almost all the articles on involution culture in various media, different authors almost exclusively focused on instances of involution culture in Asia, and more specifically, China. Examples of employees from Pinduoduo or the Chinese 996 work schedule were all Chinese and Asian-centric. Some may argue that involution culture is particularly prevalent in China and

Asia due to its widely-used form of meritocracy. But whether or not the portrayal of involution culture primarily being a problem in Asia is true, the exclusive coverage, and usually in a negative light, on how Chinese or Asians in general are trapped in involution culture reinforces the Asian stereotypes. Asians are typically viewed as being (overly) academically oriented. The rise of involution culture reports in the media creates an echo chamber where the media perpetuates the idea that Asians are obsessed with intense competitions. However, there are, in fact, many examples of involution in the West, from Elon Musk’s work schedule of working 16 hours a day to elite high school students’ intense study schedule and over-the-top sports training. The involution culture is, in fact, rampant in the West as well. Yet the media only discusses the involution culture as an abnormal social phenomenon in Asia.

With these apparent detrimental effects of involution on our well-being, is there a way out, or are we forever stuck in the endless cycle of involution? The first step is to recognize that happiness and mental well-being are the most important thing. Strike a balance between work and personal life. Even though it sounds cliche, we often forget to practice it. Richard Carlson, an American author, once said: “If we would just slow down, happiness would catch up to us.” Simply slow down. Instead of relentlessly prac ticing a piece for your piano grade 8 exam, play your favorite song and let those beloved music notes slip through your fingers and into your heart. Instead of trying to set your next 100-meter butterfly record, feel the water drops splashing on your face and yourself sliding through the waves. Instead of studying in the library during recess, have a hearty laugh with your friends under the sun, feeling the warmth wrapping around you.

But, at the end of the day, the most important thing is to find meaning in what we do. But what is meaningful and relevant? Positive psychology is a research area that aims to ad dress this question by exploring what the most important aspects of life are and what makes life worth it. Martin Seligman, a founder of positive psychology, suggested that finding meaning in doing things is one of the most important steps to happiness and success. It doesn’t mean slacking off – it means find ing passion in what you do, finding