Chinese youth independent and care for society

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-24 19:29

BEIJING - Born in the year 1990, Bi Jia has a career plan different from most of her classmates, who dreamt of becoming career diplomats after graduation from the elite China Foreign Affairs University(CFAU).

"I want to go to a multinational after graduation, where my competitive mind and adaptability would enable me to get chances." said the 19-year-old college student, a native from China's east Anhui Province.

Chinese youth independent and care for society

TV series Who Determines My Youth starring Qian Xiaoyang (played by Wang Luodan) and her mother (played by Cong Shan) explores the generation gap between the post-1980 youngsters and their parents. [File photo]

Having grown up with easy access to Hollywood movies and pop music, Bi Jia, sporting Spanish fashion wear Zara and a Swiss-made Swatch on her left wrist, said her generation could choose to live pretty much the same lifestyle as their American counterparts.

By the time Bi's generation was born, China's decade-long fast economic growth since its 1978 reform and opening up made them a generation "born with a silver spoon in the mouth." They were born in an information age, fed on material abundance, and equipped with delicate digital apparatus.

Bi said her generation was patriotic, competitive and conscious of rights despite China's increased economic strength allowing them to ward off difficulties typical to her parents' generation.

The 19-year-old, who grew up in Wuhu, a city about 400 km from Shanghai and home to a well-known China-made economical automobile manufacturer Chery, said local high school students were enthusiastic about interpreting for foreign buyers in the streets when they ran into difficulties.

"They were not only interpreting, most of them, as I know, also helped foreigners understand local culture and Chinese customs, and they did a lot to help promote car sales," she said.

The young people told her that they felt it was part of their responsibility to build a positive image of China and by doing so they were displaying their love for the country.

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