YoungChina

The rise of youth in modern China is one of the most compelling tales of modern times. Starting from the final years of the Qing dynasty, youth has been seen as a powerful force in Chinese history, as intellectuals turned to notions like "young China" and "new youth" to further their vision of national rejuvenation. Additionally, the concept of a young protagonist with a developmental story has influenced the modern Chinese novel. Youth occupies a central literary motif in the genre of Young China, which considers how youth is intertwined with the ideas of nationhood and modernity throughout twentieth-century China. This approach synthesizes cultural history and narratology to explore how the discourse on modern Chinese youth has emerged and developed over time, alongside the literary construction of the Chinese Bildungsroman. These novels describe the psychological growth of youth, using symbolic allusions to national rejuvenation. As a narrative that navigates the complex relationship between self and society, ideal and action, and form and reality, it complicates the various political and cultural symbolisms invested in youth across different periods of modern Chinese history. Ultimately, the restless and protean image of youth both perpetuates and problematizes the ideals of national rejuvenation.

作者简介

MingweiSongisAssociateProfessorofChineseLanguageandLiteratureatWellesleyCollege.