Unit 2 Lesson 4: China's Rebellious Youth?

From 1989 to 2008 what a difference a few decades makes! The images of Tiananmen square are vivid in my memory. Thousands of college students protesting, bringing along many workers with their energy and enthusiasm for holding the government accountable. But now, some twenty years later, that image no longer holds true. Tiananmen square, the symbol for resistance is now, for many Chinese college students, no more than a tourist site, a place to join together for a group photo. Two articles, "One Fourth of chinese Youth are Communist Youth League Members" (http://www.chinaview.cn/) and "China's Loyal Youth" (www. NYTimes.com) brought this point home to me.

The first article simply states that 25% of all party members are under 28 years of age. That's right, 25%! I find that figure to be both alarming and depressing. Especially alarming, at least to me, is that this figure represnts a rise of 2.9% from last year. Presently over 50% of the communist party members are students. The second article by Matthew Forney in the NY Times (April 13, 2008) states simply that "Educated young Chinese, far from being embarrassed or upset by their government's human-rights record, rank among the most patriotic, establishment-supporting people you'll meet." With all of the hoopla surrounding Tibet and the Olympic torch as it drifts around the world, it is shocking to learn that most young Chinese "strongly support their government's suppression of the recent Tibetan uprising." This made me rethink my image of the world as simply black and white, good and bad. In real life, once again, the heroes and villains are not so clearly labelled.

Forney gives many reasons for the nonchalance of the youth. As receptors of the Chinese economic boom, Chinese students are apt to fully support their government. In the competition to get into college, students spend all of their time studying and in China that can often mean learning one side of the story. For instance, a lot of class time is spent on China's long, conflict ridden relationship with the rest of the world but the horrors of the Cultural Revolution are quickly glossed over. This obviously leaves students with a slightly skewed sense of their own government and , even, of their own life histories. According to Forney, "educated young Chinese are the biggest beneficiaries of policies that have brought China more peace and prosperity than at any time in the past thousand years. They can't imagine why Tibetans would turn up their noses at rising incomes and the promise of a more prosperous future. The loss of a homeland just doesn't compute as a valid concern." Of course this may all change as the students graduate from the universities and begin to find their way through the corruption and bureaucracy of the world outside of academia. But for now, when looking for people who are protesting against China's human rights or environmental policies, do not look in the universities.