Youth in China: Chasing dreams with passion and perseverance

Recently, some western media have seized upon the younger Chinese generation's humorous self-deprecation on social media, overstating it from an internet meme into a purported generational mindset as "broken, hedonistic, and degenerate".

The real story is different — and it is best told by young Chinese themselves.

The AI innovator from a small town

Liang Wenfeng was born in a rural village in Guangdong Province. Both his parents were elementary school teachers, and his childhood was far removed from cutting-edge technology. Yet, from an early age, he understood that diligent study was his pathway to a better future. With outstanding academic performance at school, he earned admission to a university where he built a strong foundation in algorithms and computer engineering.

A man of few words, yet sharp logic, Liang is a dedicated AI researcher who often codes for ten hours straight without a break. His persistence paid off. In 2023, after pitching to over 100 investors, he secured funding for his AI startup — a team composed entirely of homegrown talents. In January 2025, his DeepSeek R1 model stunned the global AI community with its advanced reasoning capabilities and remarkably low cost. Committed to open-source ideals, Liang champions the democratization of AI — evolving from a small-town student into a trailblazer shaping the future of AI technology.

The artistic pancake maker

Zeng Yaxin is a post-95s girl who traded her paintbrush for a pastry brush and began sketching her dreams onto pancake griddles. Passionate about art since childhood, she studied fine arts in college and worked in a school. This summer, she took over a market stall from her parents, and boldly decided to combine painting with culinary delights, launching her unique "hand-painted cartoon pancakes" business. As a wonderful treat both for eyes and mouth, her cartoon pancakes quickly became popular in her hometown, attracting long queues every day in front of her stall. Her stall now serves over 500 customers a day, with monthly revenues exceeding 150,000 yuan.

Though each pancake takes just two minutes to make, Zeng spent months perfecting her recipe, testing batter formulas hundreds of times. To achieve a vivid and edible palette, she experimented with almost every kind of fruit and vegetable juice to develop nearly 30 natural food colorings. She can now sketch over 70 cartoon characters reversely onto pancakes. From countless solo practices at home to crowds of customers at her stall, Zeng Yaxin transformed the mundane task of pancake-making into a creative and joyful entrepreneurial venture fueled by passion. Her works have even been collected and stored by art galleries.

The herb girl

Wang Changyan, with her chubby cheeks and fair complexion, surprised many when she chose to give up her job in Guiyang — the capital city of Guizhou Province in Southwest China — after college graduation, and returned to her remote mountainous hometown to serve as a village official. Those around her were puzzled and asked why. Though a little shy to speak her mind, she knew deep down the answer was simple: an unshakable love for her hometown.

Driven by a determination to revitalize the village, she visited every household and consulted numerous agricultural research institutes for guidance. An expert shared an old saying with her: "What is a roadside weed in one place may be a precious herb in another." Inspired, Wang began experimenting to identify which economically viable herbs could be cultivated locally. For ten months, she slept by the trial fields. Her skin weathered, her hands grew calloused, and her face thinned with hard work. In time, her dedication bore fruit. Through her unwavering commitment, she helped her village to develop a thriving herbal medicine industry, substantially boosting local incomes and improving people's livelihoods.

The daughter, gamer, and blogger

You rarely see someone who is all three at once: a daughter, a gamer, and a blogger. Tang Haiyun was one of the best female pro players on HearthStone until she retired and returned to her family in 2018. She then started to livestream her gameplay and do short videos with her mom — her works went viral within weeks. Her livestream attracts thousands of viewers and her most popular video hit 60 million views in 24 hours. Now, her accounts on different platforms have more than 17 million followers in total.

The key to her success is authenticity. On camera, she is genuinely herself — playing games, chatting with audiences, and sharing insights on topics ranging from personal growth to family dynamics. By blending her roles naturally, she offers a fresh, relatable perspective that resonates widely.

Chinese football's "Marilyn Monroe"

"My father named me Menglu, the Chinese name for the famous American movie star Marilyn Monroe, hoping I'd grow up charming, but I've always been more of a tomboy," Shen Menglu said with a laugh in an interview. At Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga, she is better known among her teammates for her versatility, tenacity, and relentless energy on the pitch. As a left-footed footballer, she has honed her skills at nearly every position. Adapting through professional stints in Portugal, Scotland, and now Germany, she has developed mature football skills in both attack and defense. Behind her drive lies a deep sense of national pride. "Every match I play in Europe, every move I make, represents Chinese women's football," she said. "Hearing cheers and applause from Chinese fans overseas is what makes me proudest."

Dreams ahead, footprints behind

As time's arrow moves forward, each generation steps out of university and into society with their own dreams to pursue. Today, a growing number of Chinese youth are turning toward the vast countryside or pioneering emerging fields: rural e-commerce, livestreaming, digital art, AI training, drone operation. These once-niche roles are now vibrant pathways to self-fulfillment.

How should we define this generation of Chinese youth? Perhaps there is no single answer, for their lives cannot be easily categorized. From the snowy plains and mountain ranges of the north to the urban skyscrapers of the metropolises, from remote border outposts to the deep oceans, from farmland to tech labs — young Chinese are active in every corner of the nation, demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility, a pioneering spirit to break new ground, and the courage to explore uncharted territory. Meeting challenges head-on, they are pursuing their dreams and ambitions with the confidence and resolve to make a difference — both in their own lives and for the common good.

The author is a commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN etc.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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