For decades, an unspoken deal existed between the CCP leadership and the Chinese people: steady economic progress in exchange for the renunciation of many freedoms. But the economic boom has stalled. Many young people are unemployed and without hope. What does this do to them – and to the country? Zeitenspiegel reporter David Sahay went to investigate. Art-Saw documentation in Beijing.
For several years, Party and State leader Xi Jinping has been promising „common prosperity“ and „global leadership“ for China. Now, the economy is stagnating, real estate prices are plummeting, and youth unemployment has at times exceeded 20 percent. However, Xi Jinping prefers to censor statistics and suppress reporting on the crisis. Young people should now learn to endure bitterness, just as the head of state himself did, who had to toil and starve in the countryside during Mao's Cultural Revolution from the late 1960s to the early 1970s.
And what do young people do when they can't find a job after expensive studies at an elite university? Some practice „tang ping“ (lying flat) and „bai lan“ (just letting it go) as a silent form of protest against constant pressure to perform and societal expectations. Many young people withdraw from the urban achievement society and look for alternative ways of life in the countryside or as „paid children“ with their parents.
Zeitenspiegel reporter David Sahay gained the trust of three young people: 24-year-old university graduate Tianqing, 30-year-old marketing manager Qianqian, and 28-year-old delivery driver Erchui. The first two have long been desperately searching for a new, well-paying job. And the third hopes for better times, someday...
The 25-minute TV documentary „Youth Under Xi Jinping“ by Zeitenspiegel reporter David Sahay was first broadcast on November 9th on Art broadcast and is available at any time in Art-Available in Mediathek:
https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/121076-000-A/china-jugend-unter-xi-jinping