By Qin Xiaoying (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-02-20 07:20

A list of the most popular TV plays last year has been compiled, and Struggle (fendou) tops the list.

The play portrays the personal experiences of a youngster striving for a better life. Such plays are popular among the urban young, especially those from middle-income families.

The characters in the play more or less reflect their viewers: born in the late 1970s or after, an only child growing up during China's economic boom.

Before these young men and women were born, most Chinese lived in poverty and social values were single-orientated.

As these people reached their 20s and 30s, they witnessed the country's continuous economic development, the society being more open to diverse opinions, values and lifestyles.

As the first generation born after the one-child policy was put into effect, these people have enjoyed more care and attention from their families, and a much better material life than their parents during their childhood.

Economic prosperity has sheltered them from social disturbances and disasters. They have become a unique generation of Chinese.

Witnessing rapid development of the country in social and economic terms, they have a strong sense of self-awareness. And as the country sticks to its current growth track, it is foreseeable that this generation of people will see a rise in their numbers and play a key role in the future.

Their influence has already emerged. Their consumption choices and purchasing power have made them a prominent target for businesses. And their values and sense of fashion have also nurtured the growth of many industries.

The prosperity of many industries, ranging from cosmetics, computers, to movies, sports and entertainment, should be attributed to these young people.

And their preferences are influencing other groups in all professions and regions.

According to a recent survey among nearly 10,000 young people in Beijing, about 84.3 percent admitted they were striving for set goals in life.

These goals include holding good jobs, paying more attention to the equality of people, harmony of the society, helping disadvantaged groups, and national prosperity.

From these responses, it is easy to see that these young people enjoying an unprecedented happy and peaceful life, are not content with their present status quo. Driven by swelling ambitions, they are after further joy and happiness and a rosy future.

Viewed against the backdrop of the country's industrialization and development of the information technology, the ambitions of these young men and women could soon become the common ambitions of the whole society.

It could be pursued in various forms, including active participation in reforms, and social improvement.

The TV play and the survey both suggest that young people, especially those born after 1980, attach high importance to more individual freedom from the established rules. They seek more trust and respect, and a voice in social affairs.

It is also their desire to liberate themselves from the greed of money and goods created by the fast-growing market economy.

These young people are seeking a society with more humanity, democracy and fairness. They feel the ultimate target is to find their own values and capabilities, instead of seeking higher positions on the social ladder or more wealth.

All these expectations are a natural outcome of the prosperity brought by economic reform.

In the transition, this young generation will soon establish their own social identity by redefining their individual values as well as by fighting the ills of a modern civilization.

The author is a researcher with China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies

(China Daily 02/20/2008 page8)