Chinese netizens are passionately discussing the ‘Kong Yiji mindset,' term inspired by an influential figure in modern Chinese literature and used to refer to college (graduate) who consider themselves above manual labor.
(set) a few years after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the story starts with Kong Yiji being ridiculed by the working-class customers in the tavern he frequents for continuing to wear his long scholar's gown, even though he never passed the imperial exam could have landed him a decent job back in the past.
As The Paper, a Chinese media company based in Shanghai, writes, "Kong Yiji would rather steal than do he considers a menial job（粗活）just to make money. This is relatable in the eyes of some, who think their academic qualifications didn't lead to the job they wanted or deserved."
The related term, ‘Kong Yiji mindset,' refers to those who see Kong in (they) as they face the pressures of a job market that can't keep up with the record-breaking number of college graduates. Kong is a (sympathy) figure to some recent college graduates whose reality is not living up to expectations.
Some netizens are concerned that education itself may one day be seen as superfluous (多余的). "When we were young, we (tell) to study hard, and when we grew up, we would become astronauts and scientists," a Weibo user commented. "Now it has become study hard to screw screws, to be a cleaner, to collect junk. It's not that I look down on those professions—every profession is respectable— it is strange that the wind is blowing in this direction."
In recent years, China has been pushing to expand vocational education as a means to solve the surplus of college graduates. However, the transition remains challenging as the prejudices blue-collar jobs lingers.
