As read on BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.
This is the generation that will change China. The youth, over 320 million of them in their teens and twenties, more than the population of the USA. Born after Mao, with no memory of Tiananmen, they are destined to transform both their nation and the world.
These millennials, offspring of the one-child policy, face fierce competition to succeed. Pressure starts young, and their road isn't easy. Their stories are also like those of young people all over the world: moving out of home, starting a career, falling in love.
Wish Lanterns follows the lives of six young Chinese. Dahai is a military child and netizen; 'Fred' is a daughter of the Party. Lucifer is an aspiring superstar; Snail a country migrant addicted to online games. Xiaoxiao is a hipster from the freezing north; Mia a rebel from Xinjiang in the far west.
Alec Ash, a writer in Beijing of the same generation, has given us a vivid, gripping account of young China as it comes of age. Through individual stories, Wish Lanterns shows with empathy and insight the challenges and dreams that will define China's future global impact.
| ISBN: | 9781447237969 |
| Publication date: | 26th January 2017 |
| Author: | Alec Ash |
| Publisher: | Picador an imprint of Pan Macmillan |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 319 pages |
| Genres: |
Social and cultural history Age groups: adolescents Age groups: adults Regional / International studies Travel and holiday guides Places and peoples: general and pictorial works Politics and government |