Chinese society is full of divisions and contradictions, but one that might strike the casual outside observer as especially peculiar is the Chinese obsession of classifying people born after 1970 according to which decade they were born in. In this way, Chinese people from each generation are known as belonging to either the post 70s, post 80s or post 90s generation, the post 00s generation apparently still too young to be a group by itself.

There are lots of characteristics and subcultures attached to each of these groups, making the division between these so-called generations very sharp. In most other countries, there’s no big generational gap between a person born in 1985 and one born in 1990; but in China two persons born in these years would belong to the post 80 and post 90 generations respectively, two distinctively different generations.

Post 80s, getting all the attention

There is no doubt that the deeper reason behind this creation of generation gaps is the ferocious speed of China’s economic development, coupled with its fast changing society. Among these generations, the post 80s get most of the attention from the public and the media. This generation grew up in the 90s and began to graduate and face society in the 2000’s. This period of time was the most crucial period of China’s reform and opening up as well as a transformational period for the country’s economy and society. All this has had a strong influence on this generation, which many Chinese observers see as much more open-minded and influenced by foreign inputs than the post 70s that came just before it.

The post 80s generation of young Chinese have a tendency of vocally voicing their opinions and don’t hesitate to speak their mind. It was mainly the post 80s generation exchange students who staged protests in many European cities to protest the Western critique of China’s handling of Tibet in the run up to the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, for example. These protests were connected to their strong patriotism, which has also become a hallmark of this generation. Another aspect which sets them apart from later generations is the fact that post 80’s kids lived through harder times than their post 90’s counterparts and this has played an influencing role in their self-image and attitude at large.

Post 90s, the free kids of the new China

The post 90es are generally at the receiving end of many an attempt from the post 80es to poke fun of and criticise their allegedly immature and spoiled ways. The following is an excerpt from a list of differences between the post 70, 80 and 90s generations, undoubtedly written by a post 80!

“Post 70s: Mostly workaholics.
Post 80s: Refuse to do overtime!
Post 90s: Refuse to work!

Post 70s: Will always rise up when a leader is present.
Post 80s: Equality above all!
Post 90s: I don't care about who you are I am the greatest!

Post 70s: Are sure that Japan, Taiwan and America all conspire to destroy China.
Post 80s: Hopes for peace.
Post 90s: I don't care! Will the prices on clothes drop if we go to war?

Post 70s: Have bank savings.
Post 80s: Have a mortgage.
Post 90s: We just call daddy!”

The above blog excerpt is definitely giving quite an exaggerated picture of the generational differences, but it is probably true that the post 90s generation have been “eating considerably smaller quantities of bitterness”, as the Chinese say, on their way through life than their counterparts from the 70s and 80s.

Having grown up in relative affluence compared to previous generations, the post 90s generation, at least those from the larger cities, have had considerable more freedom to follow their own ways. This freedom has led these youngsters to develop their own style as can be seen in the photo above, which the older generations often look upon with utter scorn and disgust.

As you might have discovered dear reader, vintage and retro stuff is all the rage in major Chinese cities; this is arguably just one of the ways in which the post 80s is showing their ascendancy to adulthood in China. The vintage products on sale now are all directed at the post 80s generation basking in the glory of the thermos, Feiyu sneakers, rationing cards and other memorabilia of their childhood in the 80s and 90s. Who knows maybe in ten years time, what you will be seeing weathered Playstation portables, mp3 players and ipods in retro stores, reminding the then grown up post 90s of a time long gone?

 

Related links
Post-80s Get Businesslike
The Four-Year Generation Gap: Boy Meets Girl
Tiger Mothers and Chinese Parenting: Is Strict Discipline Really Superior?

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Keywords: generation gaps china post 80’s generation China post 90’s China