JONATHAN DREW asks the 'Doogie Howser' of international marketing, who knows all about the attitudes and ideas of a generation.
Michael Stanat, the Doogie Howser of international marketing. (AP Photo/HO)
If you've read the newspapers lately, you know that just about the only successful American export to China has been business reporters. We ship bushels of them over there to chronicle how fast the Chinese economy is growing, how well-educated and motivated the people are, and how, in the not-so-distant future, the country could supplant the United States as a world superpower.
When that day comes -- if it does -- the current crop of Chinese high school and college students will be running the show, and their beliefs and attitudes will largely determine the shape of U.S.-China relations.
To find out more about this generation, asap turned to none other than "the Doogie Howser of international marketing," American teenager Michael Stanat, who spent a year in China researching the opinions and habits of Chinese people born between 1980 and 1989.
Stanat, 17, recently finished a book on the topic: "CHINA'S GENERATION Y: Understanding the Future Leaders of the World's Next Superpower." Here's what he uncovered:
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asap: How is this generation of Chinese different -- or in your words, "isolated" -- from older generations?
Stanat: These really are no longer marching against capitalism on the streets of Beijing, like many of their parents were. Instead they are listening to pop songs and dancing in karaoke bars and in Internet cafes, shopping for Western-style clothes. So this generation really participates in many of the things that we as Westerners do. They now have access to greater purchasing power. They now can buy things on their own and go out with their friends to Western stores.
asap: You'd expect the typical American of this age group, particularly those 21 and older, to be found in a bar or club on a Friday or Saturday night. What would their Chinese counterparts be doing on a weekend night?
Stanat: I lived with a family that had a single child, a Gen Y-er as I call them. And he, instead of going out with his friends, as most American teenagers would do, he would go out with his parents. He would go out to eat with them, or he would go out to karaoke bars, or just study. And that symbolizes a very important cultural difference between the Chinese and the American youth. Chinese youth realize that much of their duty as young people is to study, to become leaders in business positions and be able to provide for their family as they get older.
asap: What causes the intense focus on success -- particularly academic success -- by the Chinese?
Stanat: This is partially cultural. It's the Confucian work ethic which stresses work and diligence. It's also parental. ... You have parents who really, really want their children to succeed not only because they did not have the opportunity to succeed under Mao and the cultural revolution, but also because of the economic support that comes from that. Many anthropologists have found that after China's one-child policy of the 1980s, because there's only one child in a family, this child is held especially dear to the family and this child is the one object that will carry the family's lineage on through the next generation.
asap: To what extent do members of this generation have a sense that their country is considered to be a future superpower?
Stanat: They said all the time that their country is THE place, really. Because high-rises are popping up every single day in Shanghai. That their country is undergoing rapid growth transformation in every part of society. It's not unknown to them that all these changes are happening. ... They see that China is becoming a more dynamic force economically.
asap: How does this generation view the United States?
Stanat: It's a very complex relationship. What we see is the Chinese youth have an ability to separate historical grudges from their purchasing habits. The teenagers, when Clinton or the U.S. bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, the youth were very angry at the U.S. but yet that did not so much impede their purchasing of American products. ...
When I would ask the teenagers what they think of the United states, most of the teenagers did not support Bush. They thought the United States was a great place to live -- was free and open, which were very important motifs that would come up when they would speak.
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Jonathan Drew is an asap staff reporter.
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