3月16日早间英文播报：Youths in China warm to patriotism

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A student from Fudan University in Shanghai introduces The Communist Manifesto at a permanent exhibition on the campus. LIU YING/XINHUA

Stable, prosperous society helps sense of national identity grow stronger

A stable and prosperous society has helped young Chinese deepen their love for the country and gain a stronger sense of national identity, according to experts.

President Xi Jinping said during the just-concluded two sessions that today's younger generation is undergoing a change in its mentality and thinking.

When young Chinese go abroad, they no longer feel inferior, but consider themselves on an equal footing with their overseas counterparts, Xi said.

He made the remarks after joining a discussion with national political advisers from the education, medical and health sectors at the fourth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing on March 6.

Xi's comments come as young Chinese have demonstrated a growing sense of national pride and patriotism in recent years.

Evidence of this can be seen across digital platforms, where content featuring national culture, scientific and technological breakthroughs, along with military developments, inspires young people to express their love for the country.

During the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, which started on Feb 11, a dance performance became one of the trendiest topics on Chinese social media, garnering more than 2 billion views on various platforms.

The show, broadcast by Henan Television, and titled Night Banquet in Tang Dynasty Palace, portrayed an evening in which a dozen female musicians prepared to perform at the royal palace.

Dressed in Tang Dynasty (618-907) costumes and wearing traditional makeup, the performers danced against a backdrop provided by 5G technology. The show also featured cultural elements such as local opera and artifacts from the Henan Museum in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital.

The performance triggered a huge sensation online, with one netizen describing those taking part as "terracotta figures of the Tang Dynasty coming alive and escaping from museums".

The show proved particularly popular among young people.

On Bilibili, a video-sharing site where the primary users are those born in the 1990s and later, the footage has been played more than 5 million times, receiving over 27,000 instant comments. The site specializes in such remarks, known as "bullet comments", which are flashed across the top of the screen as users watch videos.

One user posted while watching the video of the dance: "A gem of our culture. Can't believe such a joyful dance could bring tears to my eyes."

Zhang Yiwu, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and also a professor of Chinese studies at Peking University, said the show was a good example of making traditional culture "come alive".

Its popularity also reflected the fact that young people have a keen interest and pride in traditional Chinese culture, he said.

Such culture is not the only issue instilling pride for their country among young people.

For example, according to the website of the Communist Youth League of China, a central association representing young people, it has more than 15.7 million followers on Sina Weibo. Each post related to topics such as national unity, patriotism and the country's development has received thousands of comments and "likes".

On March 5, the league wrote a post marking the 123rd anniversary of the birth of China's first premier, Zhou Enlai, with thousands of young netizens leaving comments expressing how lucky and happy they felt to be living in the country.

One netizen, "Xu Baobao", posted: "We'll contribute our young energy to national rejuvenation", while another wrote: "May we use our youth to protect China."

The younger generation has helped defend the motherland.

In 2019, when rioting related to an extradition bill broke out in Hong Kong, an online community known as Di Bar, comprising young Chinese living around the world, launched a campaign to explain the issue to a global audience and to voice support on digital platforms for the city's police.

A statement released by Di Bar said the community's campaign was driven by "patriotism, rationality and truth-seeking", and reflected its confidence and faith in the country.

Laurence Zhang, 25, a Chinese mainland graduate from Hong Kong Baptist University, who joined the campaign, said the experience gave him a greater understanding of the country's developing power. He added that he felt grateful to live during such times.

Data show that Chinese born since 1990 tend to have a stronger sense of national pride.

In 2019, a survey conducted by China Youth Daily's social research center showed that the post-'90s and post-'00s generations rated their level of national pride 9.38 and 9.21 out of 10 respectively－higher than other age groups. Their confidence in the nation's development was also higher than respondents in other age groups.

Last year, the center conducted a similar survey, with the results indicating that due to the central government's pandemic control efforts, nearly 71 percent of young respondents felt that "people and lives are of first importance". The rating for national pride among young people surveyed last year rose to 9.57 out of 10, while their sense of happiness about life climbed to 9.03, compared with 8.2 in 2019.

Jiao Junjie, who works for a health media company in Beijing and studied clinical medicine as an undergraduate in Hubei province, told China Youth Daily many of her classmates had no hesitation in joining the front-line fight against the pandemic.

"We, as young people, have made a contribution and experienced the pandemic, through which we have developed ourselves and gained a clearer understanding of the country. We've really felt the advantage of our nation and the pride of being Chinese," she said.

Jiang Chun, 28, who lives in Beijing and works in finance, said: "I have also felt a stronger sense of happiness. My parents have been able to pay for me to have a better education than they did, and I can now enjoy an improved standard of living through my own efforts."

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记者：张洋菲

播报：Corrie Knight
音频编辑：万月英
原文链接：
https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202103/15/WS604e9b8da31024ad0baaf0f4.html