Chinese Youth Political Activism

The political future of China is in the hands of today's Chinese youth, a cohort that grew up along with the significant social and technological changes which happened in the past 30 years. To better understand the political prospects of China, investigating the political activism of today's youth is imperative. This paper is to provide a descriptive account of the political activities youth engage, mainly nationalistic and contentious activities, and to analyze the traits and impacts of these activities. The paper is also intended to assess the political characteristics, ideas and aspirations of contemporary Chinese youth. Drawing upon findings from surveys, interviews, academic articles and news reports, this paper reveals that the youth cohort today are clearly materialistic but less obviously nationalistic. They are less interested in grand political ideas that have cost hundreds, possibly thousands, of lives for the youth of the last generation in 1989, but equipped with new technology, especially the Internet, the youth today are not shy from demanding and exercising their political rights.

Author

• Wang, Yaqiu

Language

• en

Keyword

• Activism
• Internet
• Chinese
• Youth
• Nationalism
• Protest

Date created

• 2011

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• International Affairs

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Dickson, Bruce

Committee Member(s)

• Balla, Steven

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/r207tp54f