Youths in China warm to patriotism (3)

Young volunteers load vegetables during the pandemic last year at Nanning Railway Station, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, destined for Wuhan, Hubei province. LU BOAN/XINHUA

Last year, the center conducted a similar survey, with the results indicating that due to the central government's pandemic control efforts, nearly 71 percent of young respondents felt that "people and lives are of first importance". The rating for national pride among young people surveyed last year rose to 9.57 out of 10, while their sense of happiness about life climbed to 9.03, compared with 8.2 in 2019.

Jiao Junjie, who works for a health media company in Beijing and studied clinical medicine as an undergraduate in Hubei province, told China Youth Daily many of her classmates had no hesitation in joining the front-line fight against the pandemic.

"We, as young people, have made a contribution and experienced the pandemic, through which we have developed ourselves and gained a clearer understanding of the country. We've really felt the advantage of our nation and the pride of being Chinese," she said.

Jiang Chun, 28, who lives in Beijing and works in finance, said: "I have also felt a stronger sense of happiness. My parents have been able to pay for me to have a better education than they did, and I can now enjoy an improved standard of living through my own efforts."

Reviving nation

Wang Xuekun, head of the China Youth and Children's Research Center, said the main reason for the greater sense of pride among young people is that the Chinese nation, with its ancient culture and long history, is being revived and revitalized.

Compared with their grandparents and parents, many of whom experienced hardships, the post-'90s and'00s generations grew up at a time when the country was developing rapidly, which naturally gave them a stronger sense of national pride, Wang said.