China is such a huge country
Before World War II, many outsiders thought that China was about to become a cosmopolitan, Westernized society. Shanghai hosted Americans and Europeans with Parisian luxury and sophistication. Those outsiders looked at the Chinese elite who were bankers, who attended symphony concerts, and commanded armies, and assumed they represented the whole country. They didn't.We have to keep that in mind as we read Jason Burke's article in the London's Guardian about the ideas and attitudes of China's 'Generation Z.' The potential for cultural and political impact is there, but it's not automatic.
Young author gives a voice to China's rebel generation
"He is sullen, brooding, 15 years old and now among China's bestselling authors. Tang Chao's paperback, Give Me Back The Dream, a dark tale of unrequited teenage love, conflict with parents and adolescent suicide, reached the top of the bestseller lists last week, a success confirming the coming of age of what has been dubbed the country's 'Generation Z'...
"In a country where hundreds of millions still live below the poverty line, the 'Z' phenomenon remains restricted to the comfortable and educated middle class of urban centres, but nevertheless many still see it as significant."'The writers say what their readers - high-school students for the most part - want to say themselves,' said Zheng Tan, professor of literature at Fudan University, Shanghai. 'These are people who have grown up in a China that is becoming steadily wealthier, and as material conditions have improved they have become more concerned with private emotion.'
"The work of the new writers is also less politically controversial. 'Their focus is very personal and they deal less with social, political or economic themes. So the government leaves them alone - and that suits everybody, publishers, authors and consumers alike,' Zheng said...
"A further problem is China's 30-year-old policy limiting parents to one child. 'This has created a generation of over-indulged children who have little ability to confront disappointment or hardship,' [Deng Jun, a child psychologist in Beijing], said. 'There is also an enormous pressure on only children to succeed. They feel depressed, anguished and can easily become suicidal. They often have problems making friends.'...
"A series of studies in recent years have revealed that Chinese teenagers are smoking and drinking more and having sex at a younger age. Another concern is internet addiction..."
Labels: China, cleavages, political culture
posted by Ken Wedding @ 8:52 PM
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