“The new Chinese generation rejects sacrifice for the collective, resigning itself to a life without excessive ambition”

A practice, launched in June 2024 in Henan province and banned in November, vividly illustrates the evolution of Chinese society. Young people from Zhengzhou (capital of Henan) began to go, at night, and by shared bicycle, to the historic city of Kaifeng after a journey of 50 kilometers (in five hours); the return being made by other means of transport. The only goal of this epic: to eat a local culinary specialty and do something exceptional. The practice expanded to reach spectacular levels on November 9, with 100,000 cyclists. This success is due to social networks, but also to the support of the Kaifeng tourism office, universities and official media, which saw it as an echo of the official discourse on youth, according to which the energy of young Chinese is the driving force of the dynamism of Chinese society, and in particular its economy. After the crowds of November 9, however, the authorities suddenly changed their attitude: the practice was banned, universities prevented students from leaving campus, and two bike-sharing companies suspended their operations. The cessation of the festivities is not an act of repression – we can imagine that, in any democratic country, measures would have been taken given the scale of the phenomenon – but is explained by the turnaround in public opinion. . At first, Internet users were enthusiastic, and the few critics of the phenomenon mocked. A professor at Huaqiao University who criticized students was roundly reprimanded by his university. But Internet users have changed their minds. Social inventiveness The disruptions in transport had a huge impact on social networks. Users described a bicycle rental system falling into complete chaos: no more bicycles on the streets of Zhengzhou and an invasion in those of Kaifeng. Lively debates opposed those who highlighted the dynamism of students and those who saw it only as a fashion. Conversely, many Internet users spoke out against the confinement of students, it clearly brought back bad memories for them. You have 61.79% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.



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