Young China

How the Restless Generation Will Change Their Country and the World

By: Zak Dychtwald

Narrated by: Zak Dychtwald

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

This program is read by the author.

The author, in his 20s, who is fluent in Chinese, examines the future of China through the lens of the Jiu Ling Hou - the generation born after 1990.

A close-up look at the Chinese generation born after 1990, exploring through personal encounters how young Chinese feel about everything from money and sex to their government, the West, and China’s shifting role in the world - not to mention their love affair with food, karaoke, and travel. Set primarily in the Eastern 2nd tier city of Suzhou and the budding Western metropolis of Chengdu, the book charts the touchstone issues this young generation faces. From single-child pressure to test-taking madness and the frenzy to buy an apartment as a prerequisite to marriage, from one-night stands to an evolving understanding of family, Young China offers a fascinating portrait of the generation who will define what it means to be Chinese in the modern era.

Zak Dychtwald was 20 when he first landed in China. He spent years deeply immersed in the culture, learning the language and hanging out with his peers in apartment shares and hostels, on long train rides, and over endless restaurant meals.

©2018 Zak Dychtwald (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"To make sense of contemporary China, it is crucial to understand the varied aspirations, anxieties, fears and fantasies of the many millions of Chinese - as big a group as the entire populations of some sizeable countries - who were born after the year that soldiers killed protestors near Tiananmen Square. Young China provides an excellent starting point for doing just that." (The Wall Street Journal)

Very Informative Vignettes of Chinese Life

I learned a lot about the day-to-day lives of young adults in south east Chinese cities. Their dreams, norms, expectations, struggles, and loves. Very glad I read.

Great Insight into the Daily Life of Modern China

I really enjoyed this book. It was very informative about the daily if life of the people of China. Really made me think differently and expanded my world view.

very unique insights

good to hear the actual author in the audiobook. it brought me completely new insights to both the young and old in China and I will never think about China as the news feeds and press depict. that said this was done pre-COVID and as of my review China is still pursuing a zero COVID strategy that must infuriate young Chinese and make them feel helpless and there personal dreams of freedom (if you listen to the book has a different meaning than western freedom). Also good insights on Xi as the new emperor replacing his ministers as an age old story.

Makes China Relatable

The author did a fantastic job of relaying his personal experiences with a bit of analysis. He tells about his friends, about their experiences, and about what he thought of it all as an American. I really enjoyed this book.

Erudite, enthralling, and engaging!

Mr. Dychtwald's book (elegantly narrated by him) opens a wide window into contemporary China, while at the same time providing relevant historical context. The book is like taking a journey with the author through different regions of China (learning about cuisine, customs, traditions and new trends). The book has great references to places Chengdu. I greatly recommend this book!

Accurate description of young China today

As a young chinese myself, I was strucked by the accurate and vivid telling that speaks the heart of todays young, and the way he touches on some sensitive topics, especially from an young American's perspective, recommand for anyone who want to feel the fast changing vibes of China

a really enlightening book.

this book not only describes the historic evolution in Chinese Society route to the current generation, but also in the process the reader is considering the changes in our own Society. the authors research and ability to give narration a very human interactions with young people in China is exceptional. how else could we get this perspective?

The Best Part is What the Author Didn't Intend

This is undoubtedly an excellent survey of young Chinese society from food, to family expectations, to work, play, and how our young Chinese friends see themselves and their futures. The narrative is sympathetic, entertaining, intriguing, humanizing, and relatable. So immersed in Chinese society is the author that he unconsciously and uncritically parrots the incorrect statement that Taiwan is part of China. This almost certainly is not because the author is making a conclusive statement of the facts, but because he is expressing the world as understood by China in a world tainted and molded by Communist Party messaging. The casual references throughout the book of "Taiwan Province" and Taiwan as a piece of China offers no sympathy to the existence of Taiwanese people and how they see themselves, but this is how you know that this is truly an authentic look into modern Chinese society. Taiwan is naturally not a part of China, and suggesting that it is akin to declaring that Ukraine is a part of Russia. This is not a good thing, and it is paving the way for atrocities in the future by the CCP against Taiwan's people, but seeing this uncritical propaganda being passively accepted is the perfect contrast alongside all of the beautiful pieces of sincere Chinese culture. No peoples are all good or all bad, and seeing the bad mixed in with the good is what makes this book so authentic and worthwhile to read. Just read with an eye to reality: Taiwan is not part of China.

Perfect introduction to modern China

Easy to listen an digest information for people who want a first glimpse in to China and their youth.

The perfect introduction to China

The book does a great job of presentimg the thought processes and daily lifes of modern Chinese citizens. The author manages to tell a captivating story, based on personal experiences, while also reflecting on Chinese society and explaining Chinese cultural intricacies. Listening to this book makes me want to visit China and experience it from first hand!