In China, the rat race begins almost the minute you are born – from getting into a good school to getting that prestigious job.
The 27-year-old didn’t expect it to be very difficult.
However, when he started his own restaurant business in 2018, Sun Ke soon realized that big franchises and delivery platforms already dominated the market.
The trend started from the most elite university campuses in the country when pictures of students taking hard work to the extreme went viral on the internet last year.
As long as you had ideas and courage, there was a very good chance of succeeding,” said Sun Ke.
Billionaire Jack Ma previously advocated this 996 culture, calling it a “blessing”.
State media have also taken offence to the concept of “lying flat”.