Youths in China warm to patriotism (4)

A student from Fudan University in Shanghai introduces The Communist Manifesto at a permanent exhibition on the campus. LIU YING/XINHUA

Last year, China's GDP was nearly 1,500 times higher than in 1952, while per capita disposable income reached 32,189 yuan ($4,948) compared with just under 50 yuan in 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Average life expectancy has also risen to 77.3 years, up from 35 years in 1949.

Guo Yuanyuan, associate dean of the School of Culture and Communication at Capital University of Economics and Business, said, "This great material improvement can give young people more room for spiritual life.

"Our older generations experienced a very difficult time, and before reform and opening-up, the economy was far behind those in the West. Now, with China rising to become the second-largest economy in the world, making us roughly on a par with the West in many respects, young people's patriotic sentiment has naturally risen."

Guo said the affluence enjoyed by young people today, in stark contrast to the stories of hardship told by their parents and grandparents, will also make them appreciate the strong advantages of the Chinese Communist Party's leadership, which has created a safe and peaceful environment for them to grow up in.

The Party's response to the pandemic last year also left a strong impression on the younger generation that, when faced with a crisis, the Party and the State would lead the nation in moving forward and solving such difficulties. As a result, young people's love for the Party and country deepened, Guo added.

Sun Hongyan, director of the Institute for Children and Adolescents affiliated to the China Youth and Children's Research Center, said she noticed from her studies increasingly positive data from young subjects in many respects. This included national identity, moral and ethical values and contributions to the country. She attributed the main reason for this trend to the country's development.

China is the only major economy to maintain economic growth during the pandemic.

The prevention and control measures taken by the Party and governments at all levels have been effective, and major technological advances, such as the Chang'e lunar project, along with a greatly improved standard of living, have all been witnessed and experienced by young people.

"They may be young, but they form their own judgment of society," Sun added.

In recent years, Chinese authorities have also attached unprecedented importance to youth development, creating a healthier environment for this generation, she said.

Sun cited the Medium-and Long-term Youth Development Plan (2016-25) released by the State Council, China's Cabinet, in 2017, the first document issued by the CPC Central Committee specifically aimed at youth development.

Broader vision

Easier access to information, as well as China's open foreign exchange policies, offer young people more channels to understand their country and the world, Sun said.

"We often refer to this young generation as the 'internet generation', and the internet has helped them gain a more multidimensional understanding of the East and the West," she said.

"To them, the world is a global village. They know what everyone is like in the village, so they are able to make comparisons and think more rationally. This explains why they show less blind admiration for foreign cultures or products today."