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Re:996 by WiSaGaN on Saturday September 06, 2025 @10:31AM (#45149591)
China is not the birthplace of so called '996'. Long before tech scene in China, there are a lot of investment banks doing that in HK especially for junior analysts. Calling 996 a China thing is just orientlalism. Everything bad is Chinese, everything good is western.
Re:996 by numpad0 on Saturday September 06, 2025 @12:10PM (#45150511)
There is probably little to nothing specifically Chinese about workaholism as a concept, but the word is definitely Chinese(as in language). Dialect continuum for East Asian languages are contained within borders, or in other words, each of the languages expanded and dominated to the full extents of continuum and hit with stagnation at major geographical features before entering the modern era.
Re:996 by uonr on Saturday September 06, 2025 @10:43AM (#45149709)
At least the recent popularity of the 996 originated in China, and I believe most Chinese people would agree with that. Besides, even if it started in Hong Kong, saying it originated in China is still technically correct.
Re:996 by WiSaGaN on Saturday September 06, 2025 @10:48AM (#45149755)
Investment banks in Hong Kong were almost exclusively western back in the days with very few ethnic Chinese in senior management.
Re:996 by Calavar on Saturday September 06, 2025 @11:34AM (#45150195)
China is the birthplace of the term 996. Of course it's not the birthplace of people being coerced into unhealthy work hours - that's been around for thousands of years.