Chinese officials named and shamed for ‘lying flat’ by local governments, sending shock waves through civil service

A little-known town in southern China has sent shock waves through the civil service rank and file after naming and shaming eight grass roots officials as examples of “lying flat” – the phenomenon commonly known as “goblin mode” in the West.

Nanshan, in Guangdong province’s Foshan city, sparked an online debate when the reprimand notice against the clerks, dated December 28, started circulating on China’s social media platforms in the new year, with many questioning the radical approach.