Notes on Tang Ping

by Emily Yang

(to be printed on 2 cotton pillowcases)

Step 1: Put on your resting uniform
Step 2: Lay flat
Step 3: Calm your thoughts & close your eyes
Step 4: Tang Ping achieved

This print plays on the simplicity of the action of rest, while highlighting its political power and importance. Each block explains a step in the act of “Tang Ping,” a  new “trend” in China that has been “described as an antidote to society's pressures.”

"Lying flat is my wise movement," a user wrote in a since-deleted post on the discussion forum Tieba, adding: "Only by lying down can humans become the measure of all things.”’ (BBC)


Emily Yang is an Asian-American artist and speculative designer exploring the question: “What is Asian-American Art?” What makes art “Asian,” “American,” or both? Who cares? And who decides?