How China can curb neijuan before the next generation burns out

Advertisement How China can curb neijuan before the next generation burns out Driven by structural forces, neijuan is experienced as market crowding and a narrowing of everyday life. The costs aren’t only economic 3 -MIN READ3 -MIN Listen Published: 5:30am, 14 Jun 2026 On Chinese social media, neijuan or “involution” captures the grinding sense that everyone is racing harder but getting nowhere. State media now calls it “rat race-style irrational competition”. Parents buy tutoring hours for preschoolers, young professionals log “996” work weeks (9am to 9pm six days a week) and start-ups pour money into user-acquisition contests where winners are…