\n<\/p>\n
Others say they feel the strains of the growing and overbearing hand of the “departyment” (\u653f\u5e9c\u90e8\u95e8), as the government spends more time and resources at local level to maintain its hold over an increasingly streetwise younger generation.<\/p>\n
There have been many seismic changes in Chinese society over the last decade – rapid economic growth<\/a> has been billed as a major triumph, especially under President Xi Jinping. Since he came to power in 2012, President Xi has offered the next generation a vision of a better life and greater prosperity, as well as the prospect of them living to see China rise to become a leading global power.<\/p>\n And Chinese millennials are enjoying the spoils of this boom, being notably more affluent than their predecessors. They are more readily able\u00a0to put the English they learn in school\u00a0to use on their foreign travels for example<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the growth of \u2018Chinsumers\u2019 (\u5728\u5916\u75af\u72c2\u8d2d\u7269\u7684\u4e2d\u56fd\u4eba): this new generation of young Chinese with spending power<\/a> and a thirst for luxury goods\u00a0 also pose a big challenge for the Communist Party’s tightly controlled regime.<\/p>\n Despite the prosperity and new found freedoms to travel, accounts of people who work hard at the expense of having any work-life-balance at all are commonplace in the online discussions. Young Chinese complain that their time is increasingly being taken up with technology and thoughts of escaping the rat race and starting over are a recurring theme.<\/p>\n Many are left just trying\u00a0to keep their heads above water financially and are left suffering in \u2018smilence\u2019 (\u7b11\u800c\u4e0d\u8bed) – putting on a brave face and hiding their frustrations.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n To comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Capital, please head over to our<\/em>\u00a0Facebook<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0page or message us on\u00a0<\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features\u00a0<\/em>newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0called “If You Only Read 6 Things This Week”. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Capital and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n