First single Children Come of age

By GONG HAN

POST-80s” has become a popular phrase in China. This epithet directly refers to the nations first generation of single children, but it also alludes to problems that have arisen from the huge changes that Chinas family and social structures have gone through in the past few decades. Born at a time when the economy was booming, this group grew up with comforts never seen in any previous generation and, as only children, were indulged as the center of attention of their families.

Now in their late 20s and early 30s, the post-80s are at an age when they are meant to be gaining a solid footing in their careers and starting their own families, taking up the responsibilities as breadwinners and nation builders. This is a painful transition for many of them, who have often been spoiled and overprotected for much of their lives.

CETV1 recently launched a talk show called Zero to Hero, with the intention of facilitating inter-generational communication and offering advice to these young adults. On each episode, the show invites a celebrity from a different field to talk about their life and answer questions from the audience.

“Our guests are leaders of establishments where there is a big presence of post-80 workers, as this generation is now a major part of the workforce and consumers in China. Their significance in Chinese history can be compared with that of baby boomers in the U.S. More than that, they are all only children, which is not found anywhere else in the world,” said Xin Yuan (Cecilia), hostess and mastermind of the program. She believes the post-80s generation need and deserve a voice in the media so they can discuss their lives and share experiences.“What we are now producing is not a television version of the walk of fame or passive lectures about success stories,”she explains.

A graduate of the prestigious Peking University, Xin Yuan received her MBA from Columbia University and spent five years working in finance in the U.S. and China. Her childhood dream of working in the media, however, didnt wane, and she soon found a job at a TV station.

During her years working with company executives, she was impressed by their opinions of her fellow post-80s.“Their comments can be summed up in three sentences: this generation is more capable than many think; they were enviably born and grew up in the best period in Chinese history; and they are generally impetuous.”

Many of this generation would argue against the truth of this second sentence. There is an ocean of Internet posts made by this demographic group deploring the misfortunes they have been haunted by at every major juncture of life. They point out how when they reached the age to go to college, the government began to expand the enrollment in higher education, diluting the value of college degrees. When they entered the job market, they had to compete with an unprecedented number of graduates, and the chance of landing a good job was significantly diminished. By the time they began to get married, housing prices had skyrocketed beyond their reach.

Some post-80s lament that the post-60s and post-70s are the real lucky ones,

first appeared on the radar of venture capitalists when he was studying for his postgraduate degree. Dissatisfied with low-speed Internet video on campus while watching the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, the computer major developed a video streaming software that combined peer-to-peer and media streaming technology. When he released it on the school BBS, the software immediately went viral and was downloaded on a massive scale. Its success inspired Yao to drop out of school and he began to improve the technology with some friends.

One day in 2005, Alan Song, a managing partner with Softbank China, called Yao to say his company was interested in PPLive. The young technician took Song on his old bicycle to the cramped and stuffy apartment that served as his office. On arrival, the sight of several young men stripped to their waists in the sweltering heat, toiling away at their computer stations, reminded Song of when he and his partners started their business from a garage in Silicon Valley. Soon after, thanks to their first investment from Softbank, Yao registered Shanghai Synacast Media Tech. Co., Ltd. (PPLive.com).

The hostess Xin Yuan saw her own experience reflected in the story of this young computer genius, whose ambitions for his company resonate with the obligation felt by his parents and grandparentsgenerations – that of creating a better life for his generation. Starting her own program and making it popular among young audience has been a difficult journey. “Do it or dont do it. Its a test of your courage. If you have the guts to risk failure and believe your efforts, whatever the results would be, are worthwhile, you will have a chance of success,” she said.

In the course of running this program she has received both approval and criticism, but remained unaffected by either. She sees herself as a commissioner of communication, and insists that in front of the camera both she and her guests present themselves as they really are, being frank and honest.

The young hostess believes that the post-80s live in an age of great change and opportunity, growing in tandem with their country, which is rapidly closing the gap between itself and the developed world. “The potential for the post-80s to find success lies in this change,”she predicts.