Post on 31-Dec-2015
YOUTH IN CHINA
by Claire Huot
July 9, 2006
3 Generations
• New China Youth
• Cultural Revolution Youth
• Reform Era Youth
New China Youth
Tian Zhuangzhuang’s “The Blue Kite”
--The Political and the Collective
Cultural Revolution Youth
• “In the Heat of the Sun” by Jiang Wen (and Wang Shuo)
• Sex and politics as games
Reform Era Youth
• “The World” by Jia Zhangke
• Opening to the world
China’s Pop Idol
• Regional TV vs state TV• Omnipotent cellphones• The androgynous and the girl-next-door
look• The common denominator:
democratization of fun and desire
Li Yuchun
Netizen Culture
BBS and Internet surveys
Blogs
Mu Zimei
摇滚• Rolling Stone
• Rolling Stones
Cui Jian
The Case of the Bloody Mantou
• “The Promise” by Chen Kaige
• Hu Ge’s parody
• Martial arts invasion
Chen Kaige, an oxymoron?
Hu Ge, a People’s Hero
“The Promise” by Chen Kaige
Hu Ge’s Parody
Grass-roots Activism
A
D
V
O
C
A
C
Y
China Viewed by its Artists
• Ai Weiwei: a precarious unity• Zhang Huan: human life is cheap• Tang Zhigang: good boys and girls • Cui Xiuwen (f): a generic people• Chen Qiulin (f): ravaged cityscapes• Yin Xiuzhen (f): heavily treaded lands• Cao Fei:(f) an unspeakable generation gap• Weng Fen: a very very bright future
Education is Serious Business
The school system• College studies• Admission exam• Studying abroad /at
home • Turtles and
seaweed
The School System
• The single child: since 1979
• Family vs school influence
• System reform by 2010
College Studies
• The “best” universities: ranking and grants• 1978:1.4% population• 1980s: 2-3%• 2002: 15% (16 million students)• 2006: 20% (over 20 million students)• 2010: projection of more than 30 million
“We bought a Mercedes-Benz and they delivered a VW.”
Studying Abroad /At Home
• Double diploma programs
• International campuses
• Exchange programs
• The US in China
Turtles and Seaweed
• 海归, 海龟; 海呆, 海带• Chinese students in Canada:
– in 2003: over 110,000– in 2004: only 55,000
Young, Forever
The 2008 Olympics
The sky’s the limit… 谢谢!
©Claire Huot 2006