China's youth movement
The upcoming generation of youth in China seems to be reinventing what it means to be Chinese. It's not that they are losing respect for their culture or its noble traditions, they just seem to be creating new rules as they go, reforming China to suit their newly Westernized needs. And with the rising influence of the internet and the widest access to information they've ever had, the youth are able to wield their power of innovation and creativity to turn the country on its head. Unfortunately, they lack a connection, some sort of rally cry to bring them all together and so their efforts are for naught until a leader pops up to take control of the movement that is so close to starting. However it all pans out, China has already seen the effects of this new generation and will continue to see them for a long time.
One of the biggest points in the youth movement seems to be that they are embracing Western culture, which is true, but it seems to be a misconception to say that they are forgetting about Chinese culture, what they were raised on. Rather, the two cultures are blending together, Chinese culture embracing Western culture allowing a new level of innovation to flourish. The youth are able to join two entire civilizations worth of ideas in new and exciting ways that have never been possible before and with so much creativity floating around, it's no wonder that there's no connection, no revolution; the youth is too busy creating and forging their own way forward.
The internet is also a large part of why China's youth is able to create so efficiently with so many new ideas. The freedom the internet presents allows this generation to experience something their parents of grandparents never had. Some people say that the Chinese government blocks certain aspects of the internet from being accessed, which is certainly true, but they also have limits as to what they censor because if they stifle this new collection of information, they might have to fear an uprising when they would much rather keep everyone as content as they are.
Finally, all of these points point to how the youth are changing China but truthfully, there is no massive movement to reform China and the "youth" isn't really even a group at all. The biggest link between the new generation is that there is no link at all; they are content with living by their own rules and when I say that I mean the rules they individually make for just themselves. So all the factors mentioned above are true for lots of the youth in China but none of it can be applied to a large percentage of the population. It seems to be that subcultures are too multitudinous that everyone fits in; even the kids who don't fit in are finding a way to fit in- it's called "diaosi." China's youth culture is evolving rapidly but no specific movement has taken charge and until that day comes, the youth will just, well, live.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/china/2010/08/23/debunking-myths-about-chinas-youth-culture/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/jan-june12/china_02-13.html
http://thediplomat.com/china-power/could-this-be-chinas-youth-movement/
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2011-06/14/content_12692011.htm
One of the biggest points in the youth movement seems to be that they are embracing Western culture, which is true, but it seems to be a misconception to say that they are forgetting about Chinese culture, what they were raised on. Rather, the two cultures are blending together, Chinese culture embracing Western culture allowing a new level of innovation to flourish. The youth are able to join two entire civilizations worth of ideas in new and exciting ways that have never been possible before and with so much creativity floating around, it's no wonder that there's no connection, no revolution; the youth is too busy creating and forging their own way forward.
The internet is also a large part of why China's youth is able to create so efficiently with so many new ideas. The freedom the internet presents allows this generation to experience something their parents of grandparents never had. Some people say that the Chinese government blocks certain aspects of the internet from being accessed, which is certainly true, but they also have limits as to what they censor because if they stifle this new collection of information, they might have to fear an uprising when they would much rather keep everyone as content as they are.
Finally, all of these points point to how the youth are changing China but truthfully, there is no massive movement to reform China and the "youth" isn't really even a group at all. The biggest link between the new generation is that there is no link at all; they are content with living by their own rules and when I say that I mean the rules they individually make for just themselves. So all the factors mentioned above are true for lots of the youth in China but none of it can be applied to a large percentage of the population. It seems to be that subcultures are too multitudinous that everyone fits in; even the kids who don't fit in are finding a way to fit in- it's called "diaosi." China's youth culture is evolving rapidly but no specific movement has taken charge and until that day comes, the youth will just, well, live.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/china/2010/08/23/debunking-myths-about-chinas-youth-culture/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/jan-june12/china_02-13.html
http://thediplomat.com/china-power/could-this-be-chinas-youth-movement/
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2011-06/14/content_12692011.htm