Web opens world for young Chinese, but erodes respect
Armed with outside ideas and information, teens are challenging their teachers. And some schools welcome it.
from the May 14, 2007 edition
Page 4 of 4
"Spider-Man 3": Already seen it
Even if his teachers do not satisfy his Web-fueled curiosity, Xi says, the Internet has still changed him and his generation. "I'm part of international society now," he reckons, listing the Miami Heat as his favorite basketball team, rhythm and blues as his favorite music, and "Spider-Man 3" as the best film he has seen recently. "Kids my age all listen to the same stuff and watch the same films."
"As students learn from foreign cultures they will definitely feel more global and more international," says teacher Wang Zhangmin.
How far this globalized generation will change the face of China is a matter of debate among those following young peoples' attitudes.
Tony Hu is dubious. "I'm not sure that our individualism can change the environment much," he says. "The Chinese mold has been established for many years. And if we can't change the environment, the environment will change us. We have to survive."
Sun Yun Xiao, the researcher, has greater hopes. "The sense of participation among post-90 kids is very strong," he points out. "Their sense of democracy is stronger, and this is a definite trend."
At Tianjin No. 1 Middle School, Yan Ming is waiting and seeing. "If these kids really have the chance to think differently, the impact will be the same as in the West," he predicts. "They will be more creative, they'll be better at solving problems by themselves, and they won't simply do what they are told to do."
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