Youth cultures in China
By: Jeroen de Kloet and Anthony Y.H. Fung
Contributors: Fung, Anthony Y. H., author
Series: China today series; China today series (Cambridge, England)
Publisher: Polity Press
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 229
ISBN-13: 9780745679174; 9780745679181
Subjects: Youth; Social conditions; Attitudes; Culture
Description: What does it mean to be young in a country that is changing so fast? What does it mean to be young in a place ruled by one Party, during a time of intense globalization and exposure to different cultures? This fascinating and informative book explores the lives of Chinese youth and examines their experiences, the ways in which they are represented in the media, and their interactions with old and, especially, new media. The authors describe and analyse complex entanglements with family, school, workplace and the state, engaging with the multiplicity of Chinese youth cultures. Their case studies include, among others, the differences between migrant workers who move to Shenzhen to work in a factory and their affluent urban peers, and the romantic fantasies articulated by pop idols in TV dramas in contrast with young students working hard for their entrance exams and dream careers. This book will be essential reading for students and scholars of youth culture, the sociology of youth and China studies more broadly. By showing how Chinese youth negotiate these regimes by carving out their own temporary spaces - from becoming a Goldfarmer in a virtual economy to performing as a Cosplayer - this book ultimately poses the question: Will the current system be able to accommodate this rapidly increasing diversity?
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 204-217) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : youth in China; title: Youth and power : education, family, and the state; title: Dressing up the future : Chinese youth today; title: Localization of regional culture; title: Chinese heteronormativity and its discontents; title: Mobility, marginalization, and desire; title: Conclusion : youth and hope.