FutureChina Youth Forum 2014: What is on the Mind of the Post-90s Generation?
– Learning from Youths in Singapore and China
Singapore, 16 July 2014 – “Every new generation brings with them a new screen and a new type of economy” – the post 90s generation is no exception. The post-90s generation, or the Jiuling Hou, as they are called in China, refers to youths who were born in 1990 and after. More often than not and similarly in Singapore as with China, these youngsters grew up in a different world from their parents’ and grandparents’. They grew up at a time when the country’s economy had gained traction and citizens were able to lead relatively comfortable lives. They probably would not have experienced poverty and hardship, and in the case of China, many would have been the only child in the family. China’s one-child policy had created nuclear families with six adults centering their attention on one child, providing for and acceding to the child’s whims and fancies. Rejection and failure are almost foreign to them as they are sheltered from their impacts by the adults who formed a fortress of protection around them.
But, are the post-90s generation really so fragile? Is there anything we can learn from them? What can they teach us about their world, their aspirations, their outlook of life and its challenges? From the movie screens of the 60s to television screens of the 70s; to computer screens of the 80s and now, the mobile phone screens of the post-90s – as the screens get smaller, the pockets get broader and deeper. Every screen brings with them brave new opportunities for people to reach out to the world and for the world to reach them. In China alone, almost 90% of the 618 million netizens access online contents via the mobile phone. The emerging mobile internet economy had already shaken some of the traditional institutions in the retail and finance & banking sectors, with the setting up of super-efficient mega online stores and provision of virtual banking services by social media platforms via mobile apps.
Speaking at the FutureChina Youth Forum 2014 (FCYF 2014) held this afternoon, Ms Ge Yang, Content Planner of Conference and Events from FTChinese.com, Dr Zhou Zhao Cheng, Editor of Zaobao Online cum Editor of Crossroads with Lianhe Zaobao, as well as Mr See Yong Sheng, CEO of ITT Global Learning, shared their personal insights on the unique characteristics of the post-90s generation, as well as these youngsters’ main pre-occupation, predicament and pre-dominant views of society.
Amongst them, Ms Ge Yang is also an invited speaker for the FutureChina Global Forum 2014 organised by Business China which will be held on 17 and 18 July, in Singapore.
Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport, and Business China Board of Director, Mrs Josephine Teo, graced the FCYF 2014 as the Guest-of-Honour. In her welcome remarks in both English and Mandarin, SMS Josephine Teo reiterated that Singaporeans are extremely fortunate to be bilingual because being bilingual and bicultural allows Singaporeans to access to various different cultures.
SMS Josephine Teo also said that Singaporeans are like travel adaptors as we have somehow become essential and useful to help build connections. This is also how Business China was founded in 2007 by Singapore’s Founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew to establish a platform for most Singaporeans to build connections with China.
The FutureChina Youth Forum, now in its second year, aims to equip Singapore youths with a deeper understanding of the forces and factors shaping China’s emergence as a global power and more importantly, the relevance of this to Singapore. Besides keynote speeches, there is also the component of the ‘Youths’ Showdown’, where youths form teams of three to deliberate on the Forum theme within eight minutes. The Youths’ Showdown this year attracted 11 teams from 8 schools to participate in the preliminary competition held earlier this month.
The three finalist teams are from: Hwa Chong Institution (Teams 1 & 2) and Singapore Management University. After the final showdown concluded today, Singapore Management University finally emerged as the overall champion of the 2014 FutureChina Youths’ Showdown.
The three speakers, as well as SMS Josephine Teo, were also the panel of judges for the Youths’ Showdown. They commented that they were impressed with the creativity of the participants as seen from the skits, presentations and videos. They were also heartened that young Singaporeans are aware of issues facing their generation today and are willing to take ownership and collaborate with one another to explore solutions, This was evident from the enthusiastic participation from youths both on, as well as off stage.
About 280 students from various Upper Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges, Polytechnics and Universities, as well as leaders from Singapore’s Chinese community, attended this afternoon’s Forum, held at the NTU One-North Centre @ Buona Vista.
Please refer to Annex 1 for the brief programme, Annex 2 for background information on the Forum, and Annex 3 for the Speakers’ CVs.
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For further enquiries, please contact:
Eunice Ong (Ms)
Manager (Corporate Communications & Go East)
Business China
Tel: 6213 0413
Email: eunice@businesschina.org.sg
About Business China
Business China, a non-profit organisation, was jointly established in November 2007 by our patron, Singapore’s Founding Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
Since its inception, Business China has been striving to nurture an inclusive group of bilingual and bicultural Singaporeans through an array of platforms that integrate language, economic and cultural elements.
Through its APEX, FutureChina and GoEast initiatives, Business China helps to promote widespread appreciation and understanding of China’s culture and societal developments in the context of multi-cultural Singapore. It aims to motivate Singaporeans to leverage on their linguistic and cultural affinity with China.
For more information on Business China, visit its website at www.businesschina.org.sg, follow @tongshangzhongguo on Sina Weibo or find @BChina Singapore on Facebook.
About Go East
Go East is targeted at Singapore students, particularly those in institutes of higher learning. It exposes them to the changing face of Chinese society and helps them gain ground experience working and living in China. The core programmes of the Go East initiative include:
– China-Quotient Forums
– Business China Youth Chapter China Learning Journey
– E3 Workshops
– Student members engagement events