Young blood, sweat and tears

Couch potatoes curious to know which TV drama enjoys the greatest popularity at the moment can conduct a simple test: Go to a DVD shop and see which series is most prominently displayed on the shelves.

At the moment, conducting this experiment would bring a viewer face to face with box sets of Start from Scratch (Fen Dou).

This series tells a tale about the pursuit for career success and true love among seven close friends of the balinghou (post-80s generation).

In China, the balinghou has been the talk of town since the late 1990s, when some of its young authors suddenly rose to fame through their writing and eccentricities.

As a term, balinghou is a widely used staple of today's vernacular, and it refers not only to age, but also to a stereotype. According to the stereotype, members of this group are selfish, materialistic and lack a sense of responsibility.

And many believe the TV show Start from Scratch is just another medium to push the group into the eye of storm that rages around their existence.

Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Beijing University, says the show and the discussion it has evoked are important, because the series has established the value of the post-80s' life experience and how it has influenced mainstream values.

"After several years of discussion and controversy, this group has been widely dissected and subsequently understood by society, in which they have assumed a new position. The stir created by the show is an acknowledgment of these young people on behalf of society - a starting point for real conversation and communication," he was quoted as saying.

But some among the post-80s generation have stood up and refuted the idea that the show genuinely represents their real lives. They declare that the 39-year-old playwright Shi Kang doesn't really understand them.

So, China Daily has taken the issue to the balinghou themselves, as well as their parents and bosses, to see what they have to say.

Speaking from experience

Jiang Xiaojing, born in 1982, working in a governmental department

I cannot relate to the characters in the drama. Maybe someone who also has a rich dad, as the hero does, can. But most of us, I believe, find it too dramatic.

My own life, and the lives of those around me, is more like a struggle between traditions and the great changes of the era we grew up in. We grew up with the opening up and reform, and we experienced the consequential social changes, but the education we received was almost the same as those born in the 1970s. The contrast between the realities we live and the textbooks we read has shaped our personalities, which is why many older people call us "confused" and "impetuous".

If we really are as self-centered and materialistic as some claim, we are forced to be. For the post-70s generation, entering a university meant a steady job and decent social status, but now, it means nothing. We both benefit and suffer from the increased enrollment of university students in the 1990s, which greatly depreciated the value of a university diploma.

From the day we enter primary school, we know we have to enter a university. And from the day we enter a university, we know a fierce competition for jobs is awaiting us upon graduation. We have to be accustomed to continuous competition, so we must focus on reality. We are left with little time to indulge in fantasy.

PR manager Zhang Fan, born in 1983

At first, I thought the concept of "the post-80s" was just a play of words. I don't like labels.

Some themes in the show, such as living in a loft and committing suicide after being expelled from school, are just too dramatic. However, their pursuit of houses, cars, money and lovers are the same as ours.

Elderly people think we are hard to approach. That's because most of us are the only children in our families, growing up in our parents' overwhelming indulgence. Most of us are emotionally fragile and are afraid of being hurt. People claim we are selfish, but who isn't in this world? They say so only because we do not hide our desires as others do.

Unlike what many seniors think, I know what kind of person I want to be. That's a person who respects my own and others' aspirations, a person who can happily face both the good and bad things in life, and a person who always holds onto dreams to become a hero.

What their parents say

Che Xiaojia, 51, who has a daughter born in 1983

Children born after the 1980s have strong personalities and are loyal to their own feelings. They have more choices and richer imaginations than we do.

Compared to those of our generation, who have had more complicated experiences, such as the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), they are simpler and purer.

I appreciate this innocence. But sometimes, they tend to seek ease and comfort, lacking the commitment and drive to work hard for a goal.

I always try my best to respect my daughter's choices, but what she chooses often differs with my expectations. Every time her answer to this is: "This is what I like."

The characteristics of every generation bear the imprint of the times during which they grew up. There is no need to change or criticize them. People often criticize their next generation, but I think every generation is better than the previous one.

Wu Huifei, 60, retired public servant who has a son born in 1982

I was an "intellectual youth" (young people sent to the countryside during the "cultural revolution") sent to Northeast China in my early 20s. I was 33 when I came back to Beijing. I had my son at 35.

The hardships of my early life constantly reminds me to provide the best environment for my son, which, I have to admit, may result in a little spoiling.

As a result, he is more direct, preferring to address problems in a simple way. The education system was in limbo, maintaining traditional concepts, such as respect for the aged and care for the young, while also encouraging children to express their ideas boldly.

So, I can see both eras' imprints in my son. Compared to those who came of age in my generation, he is more open and direct, but at the same time, these characteristics are less prevalent than they are in those even younger than him.

He has many friends. What makes me a bit sad is that he prefers to communicate with friends rather than with me. We haven't had a real talk for a long time.

What their bosses say

Ren Xiangjun, 39, chief editor of a magazine

As the only children in many families, members of the post-80s generation seldom have had the experience of confronting real adversity. So when they have to support themselves, they are very frail. Most of them do not know how to handle the hardships of life.

Also, I think they no longer pay as much attention to traditional merits, such as respecting their seniors - especially children who grow up in cities. And compared to us, their attitudes towards love is that they treat it more like a game.

We read The Red and The Black and John Christopher; they read comic books and Guo Jingming (a post-80s writer blacklisted for plagiarism). Sooner or later, what you read will influence your soul, I strongly believe.

If I want to recruit an assistant, however, I will still consider a candidate from the post-80s generation. After all, they are young and vigorous.

Fang Yanming, 56, dean of the Journalism and Communication School, Nanjing University

I have many students who were born after the 1980s, but I don't think they are a special group compared to those born in the 1960s or 1970s. Actually, I am against the simple categorization of people into different groups just because of their age.

I think only those who have shared common values and profits, and who have experienced historic events together, can be called a group, such as the "intellectual youth" of the 1960s and the soldiers of the Long March in the 1930s.

To stereotype the so-called post-80s as self-centered or lacking any sense of responsibility is ridiculous. Who is not self-centered? And self-centeredness is not a bad thing. This is an era in which people are encouraged to express their own ideas.

As for responsibility, most people among the post-80s generation are fresh university graduates. Their time has not come yet.

I remember that those born in the 1970s were also once criticized by older people as members of the decadent or confused generation. But today, they are the mainstream and lifeblood of society.

And whether they criticize the younger generation or not, sooner or later, today's older generation of will soon pass the society on to the balinghou.

(China Daily 10/31/2007 page20)