Chinese youth: They may joke, but they do not abdicate

Editor's note: Zheng Haizhen, a special commentator for CGTN, is an assistant researcher at the Department for Global Governance and International Organization Studies, China Institute of International Studies. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

In recent years, some foreign media outlets, when portraying Chinese youth, have habitually used narratives driven by labels such as "rising nationalism," "value nihilism," and "spiritual malaise." Cultural confidence is often interpreted as an exclusionary sentiment, while self-mocking expressions online are misread as a retreat from effort and responsibility.

Such surface-level interpretations reveal a deep misunderstanding. It is not that Chinese youth have undergone some form of "abnormal change," but that certain observers remain unable to move beyond entrenched Western-centric lenses.

Terms used by young people like "Buddha-like youngsters," "low-energy rat-person," or "fragile youth" are frequently reduced by foreign commentary to symbols of passivity, avoidance, or lack of ambition. But for Chinese youth, these expressions function as forms of emotional release and self-irony, humorized responses to intense academic, professional, and social pressures. To mistake emotional expression for withdrawal is a case of cultural misalignment.

A generation that has not opted out

Real-life practices tell a different story. Far from having withdrawn from social participation, Chinese youth remain deeply engaged. At critical junctures ranging from poverty alleviation to public health responses and community governance, young people have consistently been among the most active and reliable contributors.

In industry and innovation, young researchers and engineers are widely involved in key technological breakthroughs. Young people support rural development through livestreaming, e-commerce platforms, and digital entrepreneurship.

Online self-mockery has not diluted real-world responsibility. Rather, it serves as a means of emotional adjustment under pressure. They may joke, but they do not abdicate; they may self-deprecate, but they do not step aside.

Cultural confidence rooted in lived experience

Some commentators have talked about Chinese youth's "value nihilism." In reality, the confidence of this generation does not stem from abstract slogans, but from a tangible sense of participation in national development.

Over the past decade, China's sustained economic growth, expanded infrastructure, and the deep integration of digital life have made young people active participants. Their understanding of life's meaning is grounded in visible social progress and expanding personal opportunities.

Cultural shifts are especially illustrative. In recent years, domestically produced creative content has gained increasing traction among young audiences, from animation and gaming to online literature, film, and television.

Films such as Ne Zha and Chang An have achieved broad resonance among younger viewers, so have online fiction, "guochao" (China-chic) aesthetics, and digital cultural design. This trend does not reflect rejection of foreign culture, but rather the natural outcome of improved creative quality, more mature storytelling, and a more complete cultural industry ecosystem. It demonstrates that youth values are firmly rooted in the convergence of national development and individual growth.

A level-headed view of the world

On the issue of nationalism, some foreign assessments are overly simplistic. The patriotic sentiments of Chinese youth are not built on negating the outside world, but on a rational recognition of national development paths, governance outcomes, and cultural subjectivity. Such identification does not inevitably lead to exclusion, nor does it amount to narrow nationalism.

In fact, contemporary Chinese youth are among the most globally connected generations. Through overseas study, international exchanges, academic collaboration, and digital platforms, they maintain extensive interaction with the wider world.

In cross-cultural dialogue, they are capable of understanding differences while maintaining principled positions, engaging internationally with a level-headed, non-hierarchical view of the world. This balance, neither self-diminishing nor blindly admiring, captures the essence of what it means to view the world on equal footing.

Chinese youth beyond the filter of assumptions

The difficulty some foreign media face in understanding Chinese youth ultimately lies in their reliance on Western historical experience as a universal benchmark. When young people grow along a different trajectory shaped by distinct social conditions and institutional contexts, this divergence is often misread as deviation. Yet the choices of Chinese youth do not represent a rejection of modernity, but a rearticulation of modern life within their own realities.

Only by setting aside preconceived filters can one see Chinese youth as they truly are, not a generation defined by a handful of labels, but one navigating change through adjustment, responsibility, and boundary expansion.

In the years ahead, Chinese youth will continue to demonstrate, through openness and steady effort, a credible, confident, and grounded image to the world on their own terms.

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