Disconnected narratives on the 996 work system in contemporary China : A comparative study of 996 across academia, journalism and fieldwork evidence
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The “996” work system has faced a lot of criticism related to the field of China’s current employment situation. The term emerged in the late 2010s and means working from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m., spanning six days weekly. Nowadays, it remains a sensitive subject. The Supreme People’s Court declared it illegal in 2021, but the practice has not yet completely disappeared. Competition in the job market foments its perpetuation. This thesis investigates the narratives surrounding the 996 system and the aim is to study the difference between portrayals in 996 academic and journalistic discourse and witnessed aspects in three
workplace settings.
This thesis uses a mixed methods approach and it triangulates data from three cardinal origins. Firstly, it utilizes immersive fieldwork from tours of three industrial companies in Suzhou. Secondly, it incorporates a questionnaire investigating the impressions of 32 foreign scholar visitors. Thirdly, it applies discourse analysis to academic papers and media reports. It also examines relevant virtual opposition campaigns like 996.ICU and Tangping (the “lying flat” movement). The juxtaposition uncovers a narrative division. Academic and journalistic conversations depict 996 through motifs of emergency and labor rights. On the contrary, in-field observations exposed a counter-narrative that emphasized professionalism, automation and modernity. Companies did not discuss the issue. They showed an effort in employing corporate diplomacy to maintain a positive reputation, a good “face” (mianzi).
The thesis found multiple diverging narratives. The most central finding is that foreign observers stand in a threshold position. They remain partly unaware of the whole truths of the argument. However, they feel skeptical about the sterilized commercial presentations. Finally, this thesis contends that 996 is not simply a workplace phenomenon. It is an embattled storytelling
domain stretching to disparate concepts like techno-nationalism and work-life balance, and the paradox between soft law of organizational habits and hard law of government legislation. This occurs through narrative alteration too, i.e. avoidance and replacements of the issue.