This past month has seen a flurry of articles written about the religious sentiments of Chinese youth, all triggered by the release of a survey conducted by the National Survey Research Center of the School of Philosophy at People’s University in Beijing. Many of the stories picked up the angle that Islam was the most popular religion, while others highlighted the growing popularity of religion in general among Chinese young people.
These stories actually prompt deeper questions about what life is like for youth in China today. What are Chinese youth like? What are the issues they wrestle with? How are they coping with the pressures of life? Are they really interested in spiritual matters?
In the 2010 summer issue of the ChinaSource Quarterly, we took an in-depth look at China’s youth. In light of these recent stories about the spiritual aspirations of young people in China, we thought this would be a good time to direct your attention to some of the articles in that issue.
Writing in the editorial, ChinaSource President Brent Fulton says that unlike their parents who experienced shared struggle and victories in the turbulent years of the twentieth century,
Today's youth generation has no shared struggle, no defining life and death experience. In spite of the attention and material prosperity these youth enjoy, this generation is perhaps the most alienated. The research featured in this issue of the ChinaSource journal highlights the state of today's youth, who describe themselves as increasingly distanced from their parents and teachers. Browbeaten by unrealistic pressures to succeed in a highly competitive society, many retreat to the security of Internet chat rooms or spend hours playing online games with friends.
Allen Reesor writes about a qualitative research project that was conducted in Hunan province that year into the nature of family relationships, attitudes toward education and religion, influences, ideals, and social interaction:
Some of the key findings include the conclusion that youth admire leaders who are strong, decisive and will employ any means to achieve benefit for those who follow them. They want their leaders to listen to their ideas and share their knowledge and insights in ways that will lead them to action. Action to combat boredom can be either virtual or actual, so these young people seek out adults they can trust who will empower them to actively address the needs and challenges they face. Often these are not their parents.
With regards to religious belief, the study found that:
Most young people do not have a clear idea of God. They are told that God is like a father, but their parents, especially fathers, are generally perceived as harsh, critical, and unsupportive. Parents are often not good role models of prayer and scripture reading. Generally, youth do not have relevant evidence or experience of God helping them, and those who want to be independent think it is not good to rely on God. Most young people in the study do not see how Christian practice is connected to the reality of everyday life.
The issue also features an interview with a Christian in China who works with youth. When asked about the openness to spiritual things on the part of Chinese youth, he responded:
They are just taken up with the material because what surrounds them is the material. Their constant goal, under the pressure of their parents, is pursuing higher education and great success. With youth, you lead by example, and the parents really hunger for the material. Even though the youth are really empty (they are like blank, white pieces of paper) it is hard to get them to open to spiritual things. In China, young people have not even heard of the name of Jesus. They categorize Christianity as "religion" based on what other people tell them. However, if they have the chance to really hear about Christianity, if they have someone to tell them about it, they are eager to learn. Their hearts are empty, so when they hear the gospel, they open up and really want to learn more especially the university students.”
In response to a question about how they view God, he replied:
Under the education of atheism, most youth will say there is no God. They view God as a superstition or a provider of material things. Money is their god because money is their power. That's how they view Him. They view God as a material thing, something they can see, not an invisible power.
On the importance of the role of the church in helping parents raise their children, Li Sha writes,
The church's role is to nurture, encourage and resource the capacity of parents to train and disciple their own child. The local church needs to find effective ways to engage parents and equip them to fulfill their biblical roles as the spiritual leaders of their children. How? That is the subject of another article. But for now, the important point is to realize that the ministry of the church is to inspire and equip parents to disciple their own child.
The majority of parents in China have no idea how to nurture the spiritual life of their child during the daily activities of their busy lives.
If you are interested in Chinese youth and how to serve them, the 2010 summer issue of the ChinaSource Quarterly is a great place to start.
Image credit: University Students – Anyang, China, by V.T. Polywoda, via Flickr
Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio
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