In China, a New Generation Shapes Their Own "Revolution"

Get past the boosterism and overstatement -- not to mention the xenophobia and fear -- and one thing is for sure: China will have an immense role in shaping the 21st century. The particular shape of the country's influence, however, will be largely determined by the aspiration and ideas of today's young generation as they grow into positions of power and influence.

On Saturday, the New York Times profiled Han Han, a 28-year-old race car driver who also happens to be the best-known writer in China --and perhaps, with 300 million hits to his blog, the most-read living author in the world. Han first came to prominence in China after publishing his first novel when he was 19, and has been known as a voice representing the impatience of the generation that grew up after the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping.

According to the Times' piece, Han's popularity has exploded since he began blogging in 2006. In the process, his voice has matured from the caustic frustration of a teenager to an increasingly sophisticated voice offering satire of the Communist party leadership. While he's sometimes been censored, he's managed to strike a line between direct critique and a more oblique frustration.

As one who doesn't know very much about contemporary Chinese culture, Han Han's story provides interesting context through which to view one trend I've seen first hand: the rise of interest in philanthropy and social entrepreneurship among young Chinese students.

Historically speaking, philanthropy has been integrally related to the capitalist system. It's seen both as a bulwark against the excesses of industry, as well as a safety net in societies where the role of government is comparatively more limited. By contrast, socialism treats much of what falls under our conception of "charity" as the role of government.

Yet in the last few years, Chinese philanthropy has been on the rise. Last year, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported on the three-fold growth of donations to Chinese charities between 2007 and 2008. Still, the total amount raised -- $15.2 billion -- was 20 times less than the ~$300 billion raised by American charities the same year.

It's not just traditional charity, however, that's capturing the minds of the Chinese. In each of the last five years of the Global Engagement Summit I started at Northwestern University, the number of Chinese students applying with a particular interest in social entrepreneurship has increased. These students are part of networks like the Chinese Youth Social Entrepreneurship Network, and are participating in a growing number of programs helping them connect business pursuits with global good.

One of the cooler programs I've seen to this end is the Empowering Chinese Social Enterprise Leaders (ECSEL) program. The program brings 20 students to the U.S. for about three weeks of cross-cultural learning hosted by universities, well-known U.S.-based social entrepreneurs and impact investors, and the annual Clinton Global Initiative University conference. Beyond the specific trip, the program actively tries to foster collaboration within the community. This year (the second of the program), they received over 900 applications and are actively trying to figure out how to make sure the 880 they couldn't accept are still plugged in to opportunities to grow and develop their passion for social entrepreneurship.

Whether this is a fringe movement or the tip of the iceberg is yet to be determined. Speaking personally, however, I hope like hell it's the later. Despite the position of global leadership it has already achieved, and despite the very real challenges it continues to face, China is literally creating their own version of capitalism as we speak. With a global economic system so badly in need of a reboot, that's a pretty amazing opportunity to shape the future for the better.

Photo Credit: parrhesiastes