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What does it mean to be young in China today? Far from a uniform experience, Chinese youth navigate a landscape of dazzling opportunities and deep uncertainties. From the pressures of education and employment to the creativity of digital subcultures, from intimate negotiations of love and family to expressions of nationalism and resistance, youth culture in China reflects—and reshapes—the nation’s rapid transformations.

This upper-level, English-taught seminar invites students to explore these dynamics through anthropology, history, cultural studies, and political science. Together, we will trace how young people articulate their identities, values, and frustrations across diverse social worlds—from rural villages to globalized cities, from the Red Guards of the Cultural Revolution to the “lying flat” generation of today.

Through weekly thematic discussions, films, and critical readings, students will not only learn about the lived experiences of Chinese youth but also practice seeing youth as a powerful lens for understanding broader questions of modernity, governance, and cultural change in contemporary China.

Course Introduction: Chinese Youth Across Space and Time

Youth in Socialist China: the Sent-down Generation

Youth and Family

Youth and Education

Youth and Work

Youth, Intimacy, and Marriage

Youth and National Sentiment

Youth and Youth Culture I: Combating Anxiety

Youth and Youth Culture II: Resilience, Escape, or Resistance?

Hashtags, Fandoms, and Feeds: Youth Online

Youth and Future: Thinking About Alternatives