I’m finally home from an AMAZING trip to China! And if you think Millennials in America have a tough time dealing with generational difference, you have NO IDEA! Millennials in China are dealing with intense generational differences both with their parent’s and grandparent’s generations.
The “boomer” generation in China is extremely traditional compared to American boomers. They adhere to traditional Chinese values and are extremely loyal to the government that they remember from their early days. And while I was surprised to find that Millennials are also fiercely loyal to the Chinese government, I was not surprised to see such a generational shift.
For example, older Chinese generations believe in the manta of “more children= more happiness.” Which is great, unless you have 1.3 billion people in your country, in which case more children= overpopulation and the depletion of all necessary resources. The government says “one child is your limit,” and younger Chinese generations not only adhere, but change the traditional Chinese mindset about having children. I heard from numerous of our trip’s tour guides that their generation is not “understood” by older generations (what a shocker!). Members of the older Chinese generations still bother younger generations about getting married, having children and getting jobs. Millennials in China are under the same pressures that Millennials in America feel.
In the city of Wuhan I met Toby (his American name) who serves as a tour guide through his local city. He explained that he had just bought his first condo about six months ago. Condos are extremely popular in China, especially for young people and young families, but can be very very expensive. When Toby bought his apartment his mother warned him that he should wait until he had all of the money needed to buy it. About three months ago the value of Toby’s condo tripled. The traditional Chinese mindset of loyalty and thrift is quickly being replaced by a more “Millennial attitude” of growth and expansion.
Overall, I found Chinese Millennials very similar to American Millennials, but I would love to see more official research on the Millennials of China, so please share it with me if you find any!
{ 1 trackback }