2020 is the year when young people accelerated the process of life empowerment

In 2020, an increasing number of young people became steadfast and persevering in the face of difficulties, and learned to face the twists and turns of life. Positive attitudes and down-to-earth actions will benefit them throughout their lives.

"I broke up with my boyfriend in April of 2020. In June, I lost a sum of money due to internet fraud. Also in June, I quit my job and started a business. It was a very dark time where I did a lot of reflections, and realized that I walked too fast and needed to slow down. In addition, I realized that I didn't need to grasp onto something to gain a sense of security," she said with an unswerving tone: "To become a full-time life coach is like a ray of sunshine shined into my life, I feel like I found what I genuinely wanted to do.”Indeed, in 2020, a girl from Shaan'xi Province found the sunshine of her life in Beijing. In 2020, many young people began to explore individually the possibilities of life.

Some learned new skills and found a new way of self-expression: "Due to the pandemic, many projects on which agreements had already been reached fell through. Hence, I started to try out new methods to maintain my work condition. To me, doing handicraft is not just learning a new skill, but it is more a way of self-relaxation and self-expression."

Some started up their own businesses and achieved career autonomy: "Last year I took an online course, registered a work studio, cooperated with Wechat to do online audios, and am also doing a podcast. Doing these things are interesting, what are the contents, who are the guests, I have to plan for all these. This sort of achievement feedback is sustainable."

Some decided to turn from working full-time to part-time, and gained mental empowerment: "Full-time employment leaves me no room to breathe, whereas part-time job can help me better organize my time and energy. I want to have a sense of control."

Some used the time after work to self-study, striving to attain specialization: "I am currently studying the programming language 'R', and I already mastered the software NVivo and SPSS. These are common research tools, and I hope to develop into independent research in the future."

A "Slash youth" (having different occupations and a diversified lifestyle) who has successfully integrated his principal and subsidiary occupations stated that: "When you arrive at a certain stage of your life, your previous conflicts will all integrate within you and reestablish a brand new self, a self that is still unwise but fearless." Self-empowerment is an inevitable result in the stage of social development when young people are confronted with the tasks of dealing with social relations and realizing self-fulfillment. The significant impact of the fourth industrial revolution based on digital technology is the emergence of a society "centered on the self". Individuals can gain more freedom, be liberated from the traditional social structure and obligatory relations, and can make their own choices and decisions. They will also be integrated into a new social structure, where they need to be responsible for the risk-taking processes in their lives.

When faced with risks and challenges, some choose denial, some choose ignorance, but the current youth generation chose to transform as a collective, to seek the possibilities of different routes as an individual, to transform risks into reasons to act, and to strengthen the tenacity of their future livelihoods. 2020 was undoubtedly an important year which saw the transition of the generation of young people.

Contributed by Lin Hong, young scholar of the 1980s generation, assistant research fellow at the Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Translated by Zhang Junye