Youth of China in the New Era

(3) Tempering Themselves Through Community Service

The local community is the best place to temper young people in the new era, where they can learn through practice. By aligning their personal ambitions with the grand goals of the state and the Party, young people turn their pursuit of the Chinese Dream into pragmatic work, and hone their skills and increase their abilities through trial and experimentation.

Helping villagers solve problems in rural areas, providing services to residents in cities, and patrolling and guarding the frontiers ... More and more young people are now working in communities and in the places where they are most needed, fighting hardship to drive China's modernization and realize their dreams.

Of the 1,981 individuals and 1,501 groups commended by the central authorities in 2021 who had stood out in China's poverty alleviation campaign, many were young people. More than 1,800 people have died in the battle against poverty, and many of them were young people.

As the country implements the rural revitalization strategy, young people have led the efforts to establish specialized cooperatives, apply modern agricultural technologies, and develop new industries and new forms of business in rural areas. They have taken the lead in abandoning outdated social mores, nurturing civil social norms of conduct, and improving rural living environments, and helped villagers increase their incomes. All of these have contributed to giving rural areas a bright new image.

By 2021, 470,000 college graduates had worked in rural areas on posts related to teaching, agriculture, medical service and poverty alleviation, and during their vacations, millions of college students had conducted surveys or taken part in cultural activities and other activities to spread understanding of science and technology and information on health in the countryside. Through these efforts, young people have offered their support to China's poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.

(4) Taking the Lead in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

In the new era, China's youth have shown rich imagination and creativity, open-mindedness, and a pioneering spirit. They have the spirit to engage in the field of international competition as it grows ever fiercer, and have become a strong force driving innovation and entrepreneurship.

Backed by policy incentives of the Party and the state, young people take the lead in innovation, starting businesses, and striving for excellence, serving the country and the people with their ingenuity and expertise in economic, social, technological and cultural fields. Under the innovation-driven development strategy and open competition mechanisms, a large number of world-class young scientists have come to the fore in major sci-tech programs, including China's space station Tiangong, deep-sea manned submersible Jiaolong, the five-hundred-meter aperture spherical telescope (FAST) Tianyan, the dark matter probe satellite Wukong, the quantum science satellite Mozi, the Mars probe Tianwen-1, and the lunar mission Chang'e. The average age of the core members of the research groups on the Beidou Navigation Satellite System is 36; the corresponding figures are 35 for Mozi and 30 for Tianyan. Every year more than 3 million science and technology and engineering students graduate from Chinese universities, which continuously replenish the country's ranks of engineers. Well-educated and highly-skilled, they give China an "engineering bonus", adding impetus to the country's development and improving its standing in international competition.

China has introduced a raft of policies supporting business startups, and young people are responding warmly. They are active in entrepreneurship programs like the China College Students' Entrepreneurship Competition, China International "Internet+" College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, carving out careers with their knowledge and ingenuity. Among the founders of market entities registered since 2014, more than 5 million are college students and new graduates. In creative industries such as IT services, culture, sports, entertainment and sci-tech, young people account for half or more of the workforce, and are at the helm of many unicorn and gazelle companies. Aligning individual inclination with national development, young people are putting their talents to use in innovation and starting businesses, and serving society in the process.

(5) Spearheading Cultural and Ethical Progress

In the new era China's youth advance with the times, adapt to the need to modernize China's system and capacity for governance, and set the pace in making cultural and ethical progress. They advocate and follow new, positive trends.

In both urban and rural areas, in the workplace or on campus, young people embrace good moral values and ethical conduct. They champion pursuit of excellence and the greater good, and set healthy trends.

A growing number of young people are engaged in community governance and services in both urban and rural areas. By participating in programs like Youth Action in Communities launched by the CYLC Central Committee, they gain practical experience, and improve their ability to serve society. In all sectors of the economy, young people work in a spirit of dedication, collaboration, excellence and contribution, and have created many model worker teams. They represent the work ethic and professionalism of the new era. Young athletes, demonstrating good sportsmanship, score excellent results at games.

Since the China Young Volunteers initiative was launched in 1993, volunteering has become an important avenue for young Chinese to participate in social governance, fulfill social responsibilities, and temper themselves in the course of serving the people and society.

As of the end of 2021, more than 90 million people aged between 14 and 35 had registered at the volunteering platform Chinavolunteer.mac.gov.cn. They are active in community affairs, large sport events, environmental protection, development-driven poverty alleviation, healthcare, emergency response and cultural preservation. By spreading the spirit of volunteerism－contribution, friendship, mutual aid and progress－they promote unity, equality, amity, mutual aid, and common progress across the society.

Over the past 18 years, China's "Go West" Program has dispatched 410,000 postgraduates and college graduates to 2,100 counties in central and western regions to support poverty reduction endeavors there through teaching and healthcare service. Young people have always been the mainstay of volunteers providing services in large-scale events. They have made a deep impression on the world.

IV. Having a Global Vision and a Strong Sense of Responsibility

The younger generation is the future of a country and the hope of the world. China's youth in the new era care about their family and country, and share that concern for the rest of humanity. They uphold the beliefs advocated by Chinese culture that all peoples are one family and the world is a commonwealth. They actively draw inspiration from the experience and achievements of other countries and civilizations. They work along with their peers from around the world to build a global community of shared future, and advocate peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, which are the common values of humanity, for the purpose of creating a better future for all.

(1) Embracing the World with Greater Openness and Confidence

As China opens its doors wider to the outside world, the country's young people today are building a greater understanding of international exchanges and cooperation. They are embracing the world, pursuing broader and deeper integration with others, and showing greater rationality, inclusiveness, self-confidence and self-reliance, by studying, working, traveling, and participating in visiting programs abroad.

Studying abroad is the most important way for Chinese youngsters to learn about the world. In 1978, China sent just over 800 students abroad. In 2019, more than 700,000 Chinese students went abroad to undertake education courses. Over the past four decades, the total number of Chinese people studying abroad has exceeded 6.5 million. The number of Chinese overseas returnees grew from 248 in 1978 to more than 580,000 in 2019. The total number of overseas returnees has exceeded 4.2 million in the past more than four decades. In addition, a large number of Chinese young people go abroad for travel, visiting programs, business tours, and labor cooperation, which enable them to better understand the world. In 2019 alone, Chinese citizens made 170 million overseas trips. The channels for Chinese youth to know about the world continue to expand, and their global vision is steadily broadening.