Jiaming Sun - Chinas Generation Gap

Based on data collected for the Generation Gap Survey in Shanghai and updated to take into account contemporary trends, this book uses an empirical approach to study the generation gap in China. It covers various aspects of life from professional and family life to political participation and belief systems, analysing and comparing the values held by four different generations. Encompassing more than 2000 case studies and drawing on a wealth of fieldwork interviews, in particular it examines the experiences, thoughts and perceptions of adolescents, young adults, the middle-aged, and the elderly. As the largest sociological survey ever conducted regarding attitudes and value changes by different age groups in Shanghai, it highlights how social change and globalization have impacted on new generations, and the results indicate the dramatic difference and supersession of social ideologies between the generations.

A unique piece of research, shedding light on a changing Chinese society, Chinas Generation Gap will be of huge value to students and scholars of Chinese culture and society, Chinese social policy, globalisation and cultural studies.

Jiaming Sun is a Sociology Professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce, USA. His recent publications include Chinese Globalization (2013) and Global Connectivity and Local Transformation (2008).

Dongmei Cheng is an Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at Texas A&M University-Commerce, USA. She has published numerous journal articles in the areas of sociolinguistics and teaching English as a second language.

For our full list of available titles: www.routledge.com/Routledge-Contemporary-China-Series/book-series/SE0768

Chinas Relations with Central and Eastern Europe
From Old Comrades to New Partners
Edited by Weiqing Song

Civil Society in China and Taiwan
Agency, Class and Boundaries Taru Salmenkari

Chinese Fans of Japanese and Korean Pop Culture
Nationalistic Narratives and International Fandom Lu Chen

Emerging Adulthood in Hong Kong
Social Forces and Civic Engagement Chau-kiu Cheung

Citizenship, Identity and Social Movements in the New Hong Kong
Localism after the Umbrella Movement Edited by Wai Man Lam and Luke Cooper

The Politics of Memory in Sinophone Cinemas and Image Culture
Altering Archives Edited by Peng Hsiao-yen and Ella Raidel

Chinas Soviet Dream
Propaganda, Culture, and Popular Imagination Yan Li

Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in China
Evolution, Drivers and Prospects Jieqi Guan and Carlos Noronha

First published 2018
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2018 Jiaming Sun and Dongmei Cheng

The right of Jiaming Sun and Dongmei Cheng to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Sun, Jiaming, author. | Cheng, Dongmei, author.
Title: Chinas generation gap / Jiaming Sun and Dongmei Cheng. Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2018. | Series: Routledge contemporary China series ; 183 | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017047070| ISBN 9781138647930 (hardback) | ISBN 9781315626758 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Conflict of generationsChina. | Intergenerational relationsChina. | Social valuesChina.
Classification: LCC HM726 .S86 2018 | DDC 305.20951dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017047070

ISBN: 978-1-138-64793-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-317-23597-2 (ebk)

Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear

Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders for their permission to reprint material in this book. The publishers would be grateful to hear from any copyright holder who is not here acknowledged and will undertake to rectify any errors or omissions in future editions of this book.

Dongmei Cheng

The world is focused on all things China these days, and if your interests lie in Chinese culture and generations, this book is for you. It provides new insights into the societal changes that have taken place over the last four decades, includes colorful examples of Chinese language, and makes an invaluable contribution to generational research and understanding modern-day China.

China is one of the largest, most populated, and oldest civilizations in the world, marked by centuries of cultural continuity and tradition. At times in its history, China has been a dominant economic power in the world, but has also fallen into decline. One of the remarkable events of recent times has been the relatively rapid rise of China from Mao Tse-Tungs hardline, highly controlled communist regime to the second largest market economy in the world. The move toward a market economy was launched by Deng Xiaoping in 1978 and continues into the twenty-first century. Dramatic but destabilizing, the prediction is that when the pace of social change accelerates and shifts in opposite directions, the age groups or generations that grew up under sharply contrasting circumstances will have difficulty understanding and relating to each other, thereby increasing the likelihood of generational misunderstanding and conflict. The idea of the generation gap is a long-standing and compelling one in world literature. From ancient times into the twenty-first century, much has been made of clashing age-group differences, animosities, and confrontations by philosophers, theologians, politicians, novelists, scholars, and journalists. Cooler heads, however, need to prevail to put an accurate perspective on generational differences and relations. With its emphasis on the scientific method, research, and empirical evidence, this is where social science has much to contribute in sorting out fact from fiction and reality from myth.