Event Summary
China’s "angry youth," or fenqing, present a challenging phenomenon to both China and the outside world. These young men and women often use the Internet and other channels of political discourse to publicly express their critical views. Their hyper-nationalistic and often anti-American sentiments, which first emerged in the late 1990s and are widely disseminated today, stand in sharp contrast to a generation of Chinese youth just 20 years ago. What gives rise to the frustrations of China’s "angry youth?" How representative of China’s youth are fenqing? What implications does their existence have for the country’s political trajectory? How will the growing influence of China’s "angry youth" impact China’s foreign policy in years to come?
Event Information
When
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Where
Falk Auditorium
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
Map
On April 29, the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings hosted an event on China’s "angry youth" to explore the characteristics of this unique segment of Chinese society – their views, values and behavior. Panelists discussed how policy decisions in the West might have triggered some of the radical reactions among the "angry youth" in China as well as the possible benefits of understanding China’s young generation. Kai-Fu Lee, president of Google Greater China, provided keynote remarks. Panelists Evan Osnos, Stanley Rosen, Teresa Wright and Xu Wu gave presentations. After the program, panelists took audience questions.
Participants
Keynote Address
Kai-Fu Lee
Vice President, Google Inc.
President, Google Greater China
Senior Fellow and Director of Research, John L. Thornton China Center
Panelists
Evan Osnos
Staff Writer, The New Yorker
Stanley Rosen
Professor of Political Science, The University of Southern California
Teresa Wright
Professor of Political Science, California State University, Long Beach
Xu Wu
Assistant Professor of Media and Public Relations, Arizona State University
Visiting Fellow, The Brookings Institution