A new concept dubbed the “slave labor theory” has spread across Chinese internet platforms such as Zhihu since September, satirizing low-wage, exploitative working environments. According to Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao, the theory holds that no matter how advanced a system appears, if even one link relies on “slave labor” practices, the entire system will inevitably deliver low-quality products or services, an application of the “barrel effect,” in which the shortest stave determines how much a barrel can hold. The term refers to low wages, oppressive management and layers of outsourcing.
Netizens cited a collision and fire at a Chinese supercar championship in Shanghai on September 5 as an example. After a car driven by a British driver crashed and caught fire, rescuers reportedly dropped their extinguishers and fled out of fear of the flames, while the ambulance allegedly did not arrive until 15 minutes after being notified, reportedly because its driver had fallen asleep.
Hong Kong 01 reported that many staff at the event were temporary hires lacking systematic training and practical experience. Some claimed on-site workers were security guards hired through multiple layers of outsourcing, paid 60 yuan (about US$8.40) a day. One commenter asked whether anyone could expect such workers to risk their lives for a few dozen yuan.
Netizens also pointed to restaurant kitchen staff spitting in food and café employees clashing with customers, arguing that no matter how upscale a brand appears, long-term high pressure or low pay among intermediate-level staff can severely damage its image.
The report noted that such internet “theories” have proliferated in China in recent years, mostly reflecting the anxieties of young people at the bottom of society. Last year, three such theories went viral: influencer Hu Chenfeng’s “Apple-Android theory,” which sorts people and things by phone operating system and implies foreign products are superior; the “sexual repression theory,” which attributes ordinary relationship problems to sexual repression; and the “laborer all-in theory,” which criticizes some men’s willingness to bankrupt themselves to marry and have children.
On September 22 last year, Chinese authorities launched a “Qinglang” online cleanup campaign targeting content that stirs up negative emotions. The three theories were hit first, with related terms and topics blocked and accounts such as Hu Chenfeng’s banned.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), October 4, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202610040161.aspx