The mysterious growth of the Chinese economy today had diverse effects on the social well-being of the country. The economic growth in the country failed to portray equal social development among the citizens. This fantastic colossal growth of the economy has impacted negatively on the social lives of the people in the country. Through globalization, today cultural crashes and the need to embrace the changes continuously affect the national development in a country (Williams, 2008). In the case of China, a communist country is trying to adapt to the capitalist world to sustain its development. With the integration of the world economies and the rise of globalization, cultural integration and collaboration is inescapable. Businesses are expected to understand the cultural differences which are the key element for the success in the business world. Failure to understand culture and engage cultural principles and values may, therefore, lead to poor development of the country. The documentary, Young and Restless in China shows the fate of young people in China who continuously try new things as they try to adapt to the new ways of doing things. It shows the suffering that China may experience in the course of its development. In essence, while some may find the new China is promising, but in fact it may be destroying the spiritual and true relationship between each one to another.
Young and Restless in China provides a review of some of the problems experienced by the various types of people in China. The producer shows the process of growth of four persons in the country who have various motives, expectations and hope but still experience unsettledness as a result of enormous economic growth and changes in the culture of the people (William, 2008). The film follows four people chosen due to their different professions. It is also important that the chosen people in writing this documentary have attained the various levels of education, providing a variety of perspectives. Firstly, we have a media savvy hip hop artist who tries to adopt black American culture of music and hence introducing it to China (Williams, 2008). Secondly, we have the migrant worker who is now living on an edge seeking for opportunities in his country. Some of the workers are forced to work for 80 hours per week to be able to meet their needs and to satisfy the country’s needs.
Third, we have a dedicated medical resident who amid taking his duties in the health sector suffers hardships in getting time and resources to cater for more than three-quarters of Chinese population without health insurance (William, 2008). Lastly, we have the once courageous environmental activist who turned to be an entrepreneur and has to conduct business in spite of the high demand by his ailing and highly combative family. In the documentary, it is evidenced that cultural changes have occurred because of changes in the local economy, and those cultural changes have created stress for the nation’s citizens, who are being forced into a new way of life. The main focus of the film is these changes in behavior, as the result of a changing culture, demonstrating the psychological effect that the changing economy ha on the young in China. It shows the changes and conditions that these people have to consider ensuring success in the new changing environment. The producer focuses mainly on interviews with the four individuals who are always ready to give their views and expectations (William, 2008).
The change of the cultural way of doing things from communism to capitalism is the main challenge in China (Hirschberg & Hirschberg, 2012). The once communist nation is turning to capitalism and hence forcing its citizens to embrace new ways of living (Livermore, 2013). Cultural changes determine new adoption and undertaken activities in certain, which force those people to change their way of survival in the new system. The case of the migrants, like Wei Zhanyan, moving away from their country and then coming back to try to adapt to their cultural changes is a good example or promoting the new system in a positive and leading way.
The collection of the information used in this movie is its major strength as it provides highly reliable firsthand information. The producer used observation techniques where he could film the behaviors of the young graduates in the country. Within the four years of adopting the new system, the comparison was made on the quality of life, expectations changes in the hopes of the participants (Williams, 2008). The other strength was the choice of participants from the various professions and genders who would then give a reliable sample for the research. On the other hand, the weakness of the movie is the subjective view of the writer about the negative results of cultural changes complex (Livermore, 2013).
This is closely related to David Livermore’s (2013) concept of cultural intelligence. He explains, in his work Ten Cultural Clusters, that one has to adapt to the new cultures in the new environment. This is in line with the saying, ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’ (Livermore, 2013, p.14). Through the better understanding of the Confucian Asia culture which is characterized by etiquette, order and protocol in business, the young population in China would thus be able to adapt efficiently to the business and the job market (Livermore, 2013). For example, in the documentary, Lu Dong is the owner of an internet-based tailor company. He is very interested in adapting to the new Asian culture, and being a self-made business success, similar to Bill Gates. It may not be possible for the Chinese to succeed in their business and career without the proper etiquette, order, and protocol. Therefore, this shows the need to compromise ambition, exuberance, crime and corruption with positive etiquette, order and protocol in the Culture System. As such, it is interesting that Lu Dong has converted to Christianity and is assimilating to a more Global norm, rather than holding true to a traditional Chinese culture. He appears aware that he has to compromise the Chinese traditions in order to be successful in the changing culture.
According to the producer, the restlessness of the young Chinese is as a result of many variables which affect their ability to function in the business sector. One such factor is that women in China and the Confucian Asia culture are poor, and considered weak. Feminism theory argues that this is because a masculine-dominated cultures does not allow the rise of female. This can be seen in the film in the case of Yang Haiyan, a young wife who was forced to leave school so that her brother could be further educated. However, with the introduction of capitalism which brings a new culture, the ability to perform as a member of the economy allows both men and women to be judged, and to be rewarded for what he/she can do. Yang Haiyan, for example, went to work in Guilin, which has allowed her to improve her life. However, she has yet to resolve the conflict between these two cultures. There is stress placed on her relationship with her husband because she has seen the world and wants more for herself, this is because she has stepped outside of the traditional role of the woman in her culture, and embraced the change that is occurring because of the economic development of the country, but her husband is still holding on to the old ways.
The documentary shows a life style full of confusion, loss of spiritual feeling and love. It is a new life that moves at high speed and urges everyone to be up to this speed. The documentary covers all range of individuals that make China society, from the business women who struggles to have a life balance between her work and a family to the little girl who was forced to leave school at early age to go to work to support, feed her family and lets all her brothers go to school. Each story is different and shows the impact the changing culture is having on individual lives.
For example, many women in China still have no control over who their parents will tell them to marry, but Wei Zhanyan has rejected the idea of marriage. She is engaged, and her fiancé is very concerned that they will both look bad if they do not get married. In America, this desire to avoid marriage, or to not marry her fiancé would not be questioned. However, in China’s male centered culture, it is taboo to respond to the idea, or proposal of marriage in this way.
The documentary illustrates who has come back home after many years working abroad to see new opportunities and build their own business in China. The documentary refers to them as “Returning Turtles”, who brought the big world “USA” business ideas to their own country. For example, Ben studied in New York and returned to open an Internet Café. In the new China, people move jobs’ quickly and even move cities to seek new and big opportunities. They all have fresh new ideas, motivated and work hard mainly seven days a weeks to build their own life and spend their saving for the future. However, the documentary shows that there is a social imbalance in China where some may be rich and can afford to send their children to school and have their own business, while others cannot afford such life and suffer from poverty. Hence, youngsters tend to work even with little amount of money, but express their feeling through writing or music.
In summary, the documentary shows the social contradictions in China, and the ways that relationships are altered by the changes in culture currently occurring in the nation. The relationships between people and their cultural identity, and between one another, are complex. While many find hope in the changes that are occurring in China, it has made other relationships extremely difficult, causing loss of both spirituality and relationships. Conditions in china will not improve until a new cultural normal is established, and people understand how to navigate between the traditional cultural beleifs, and the new cultural that the economy has inspired.
References
Hirschberg, Stuart, and Terry Hirschberg. 2012. One World, Many Cultures. 8th ed. Boston: Pearson.
Livermore, David A. 2013. Expand Your Borders: Discover Ten Cultural Clusters. Lansing, MI: Cultural Intelligence Center.
Williams, S. (2008). Young & Restless in China. Boston: Frontline.
