Kangni Wang

This study explores the intergenerational dynamics between China’s Generation X and Generation Z, highlighting how differences in historical, economic, and political contexts have shaped their values, behaviors, and family interactions. Drawing on oral history interviews and participatory observations in online communities like Douban’s “Post-00s Life Lab,” the research examines the sources of intergenerational conflict. Key findings underscore the impact of rapid urbanization, the one-child policy, and China’s transition to a market economy on family structures and expectations. While Generation X, shaped by scarcity and collectivism, prioritizes stability and traditional norms, Generation Z, raised in an era of globalization and digital connectivity, seeks individuality and questions societal conventions. The study contributes to understanding how generational divides reflect broader societal transformations in contemporary China.

Final-Thesis_KangWang.docx

Born in a faraway rural town in Hunan, raised amidst the vibrant immigrant city of Shenzhen, and educated in Beijing, the political and cultural epicenter of China, I have been spending the past 22 years exploring and redefining my identity. While my unique background has made it for me difficult to fit into predefined categories, it has also cultivated within me the ability to accept and empathize with all types of people, whether they belong to the marginalized or the mainstream. This is a product of my upbringing and education in a variety of socioeconomic and cultural contexts.

Being educated and working as a journalist during college years, I have spoken with and interviewed a wide range of people, from top executives of state-owned companies to young depressed people, cleaning ladies, young and old mechanic workers, and small restaurant operators struggling to make a living in the big city. I enjoy having conversations with and learning from such individuals because of the insight their words provide into the experiences and perspectives that have molded not only them but also the world in which I live.

With a foundation in journalism, I come to OHMA with a zeal to begin the media practice as an oral historian. I aspire to bring the subtleties back to narratives, to reintroduce the nuances that often go unnoticed, and to give voice to the unheard.