Cultural confidence, patriotism ride high among young people

Success in handling COVID-19 epidemic contributes to spread of national pride

China's successful handling of the COVID-19 epidemic has reaffirmed young people's belief and confidence in their country, with patriotism on the rise among those born in the 1990s and 2000s, they said.

Witnessing how the Party and the Chinese government prioritized saving people's lives, mobilized the whole country to work together to fight the epidemic, and the heroic feats of medical workers, community volunteers and delivery drivers, the younger generation, who also contributed to the fight against COVID-19 on the front lines, said they felt a renewed sense of security and pride in being Chinese.

On the subject of the various attacks against the country by some Western politicians and the COVID-19 responses of those nations, many young people responded that the pandemic had exposed flaws in Western democracy and reaffirmed their confidence in China's own political system and development model.

One of these young people wearing their patriotism on their sleeve is Cai Xuewen, 24, a doctoral candidate at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Cai volunteers at the exhibition hall of the Communist Manifesto at the university. His team of Party members is named "Spark", signifying that each member has the power to ignite the passion for learning about Marxism.

The team gives tours for people visiting the hall, and despite the travel restrictions during the epidemic, the hall received almost 37,000 visits from July 2020, he said.

Most of the visitors were students of all ages and it really showed the rise in patriotism and the strong interest young people have in learning about Party history and Marxist theories, he said.

The Spark team was the first in Fudan to put its hand up to volunteer to help out during the most critical outbreak in Shanghai early last year, Cai said.

They did everything from distributing meals and daily necessities and conducting nucleic acid tests to giving students free haircuts, he said.

"All of us in the team are Party members and we have the obligation to be examples for our peers."

As a student majoring in Marxism studies, Cai said the reason that China was able to win in the fight against the epidemic was the strength of its political system, with the Party and the Chinese government mobilizing the whole country to accomplish major tasks.

Motivated by the heroic deeds of generations before them, young people actively fought the epidemic as medical workers and volunteers for community services, he said.

"Young people today no longer put the West on a pedestal, and they are confident in viewing Western countries on an equal footing, and this is due to the improvement in China's living conditions, the rise of our military power and scientific and technological strength."

An Yuhang, 26, a doctoral candidate at Beijing Jiaotong University, said many of his former classmates who are studying in Western countries want to return to China to work after graduation.

"You can see a clear contrast in the COVID response between China and some Western countries. While the Chinese government and medical workers do everything they can to save elderly patients, and the government covers the expense for all COVID-19 related treatment, it seems people in Western countries have to rely on themselves and there is no government looking after them," An said.

Although he was amazed by elite universities in the United States when he was on a study tour there in his first year of undergraduate studies, he stayed in China for his postgraduate studies.

He said he feels safe in China and the high tuition fees of US universities and the living costs made them less appealing compared with Chinese universities where scholarships can cover almost all the fees of postgraduate education.

The rise of patriotism and confidence among young people is due to the improvement of the country's international standing, comprehensive strength, economy and education, he said.

However, being patriotic does not mean that young people today are inward-looking or narrow-minded.

"We are proud to be Chinese, but traditional Chinese culture has also taught us to be modest and keep a low profile, so we will continue to be open to the world and make friends with all countries," said An, who has volunteered as a community worker in his hometown in Luohe, Henan province since 2020.

In April last year, a third-grade primary school girl gave him a thank-you note as he stood in his protective suit collecting nucleic acid testing information.

The girl, Wang Yutong, who thought he was a medical worker, said in the letter that medical workers are angels who sacrifice their own safety to protect people from disease. "We have to learn from your spirit of sacrifice," the girl wrote. An said he immediately started to cry when he read the handwritten note.

Wang Zeying, 23, a postgraduate student at Renmin University of China, volunteered at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

"Being able to host the Games during the epidemic without postponement while protecting the safety of everyone was something we are very proud of," she said.

Although she said her job, checking the credentials of people entering the Capital Indoor Stadium, was not that important, she felt she had a great responsibility because she and many others had ensured that the Games ran smoothly and safely.

In the past three years, she has also volunteered to fight the epidemic in her hometown in Shangrao, Jiangxi province and at her university.

The experience has helped her become closer with her neighbors, especially the elderly, she said.

"While I was offering my neighbors and schoolmates help, I also received care from others, and this kind of mutual help and warmheartedness ingrained in our blood is what made China victorious against the epidemic," she said.