Dong Mingzhu responds to young people "lying flat": It's social opinion's misguidance. As long as I improve compared to myself, that's okay.

IT Home reported on March 27 that Dong Mingzhu appeared at a sharing session at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on March 26. During the event, someone asked her, “From your perspective, how can graduates from our university and other young people in China contribute to Gree and help other Chinese brands go global in the next 5 and 10 years?”

In response, Dong Mingzhu said, “I think we are discussing a social issue now. It is said that young people are very competitive these days, and ‘lying flat’ is the trendiest term. In reality, this is a kind of social misinformation and not the truth at all. I believe that every child present here today, whether they are ‘lying flat’ or competitive, why would I listen to your sharing? I could just go shopping, relax, or hang out with a few friends for tea and chat, so why are they sitting here? Therefore, I think this is not a real social phenomenon.”

“I believe that in the future, each of us may return to our hometowns, but the Greater Bay Area is a great place. I hope everyone can stay in the Greater Bay Area, as Guangdong Province has initiated a project. But you are all talents, and talent does not mean that success comes easily; those who dare to face challenges are truly talented. No one is born with these skills.”

Dong Mingzhu also stated, “Just like people keep pushing me, I made 200 billion but they still think I’m moving too slowly. I’m okay as long as I’m making progress compared to myself, right? So I think this is extremely important. Each of us needs to have confidence, right? That’s what makes us talented.”

IT Home noted that Dong Mingzhu also mentioned during the 2026 Two Sessions that some young people see others ‘lying flat’ and think they should do the same. They should actually ask themselves, “Am I capable?” “Although everyone complains verbally, their actions do not reflect that, which is the brightest side of this situation.”

Gree Electric’s Q3 2025 report shows that the revenue for the reporting period was 39.855 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 15.09%; net profit was 7.049 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 9.92%. The revenue for the first three quarters was 137.18 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 6.50%; net profit was 21.461 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 2.27%.