At the tender age of 16, Li Hanyu, from the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou, is already a seasoned volunteer.
Six years ago, she helped her mother undertake volunteer work at "Tuanyida Square" -- a public venue that marks the first national congress of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC). Donning a green volunteer jacket, the young girl is now an eloquent guide teaching visitors about the history of the league.
People visit "Tuanyida Square" in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, May 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)
Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the congress was held in Guangzhou in May 1922. "This opened a new chapter of the Chinese youth movement," said Liu Zijian, a researcher specializing in the youth movement.
GUIDING LANTERN FOR THE FUTURE
While attending a themed CYLC event at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing before the Youth Day in 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that it is the original aspiration of the CYLC to firmly follow the guidance of the CPC.
"Staying true to this original aspiration is the political choice and course of our young people," said Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.
In recent years, Xi has paid multiple visits to institutions of higher learning, talking with students directly on such occasions, and communicating with young people through letters.
He has called on the younger generation to follow the Party's call and develop themselves into a generation capable of shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation.
A youth survey conducted in 2020 showed that the majority of China's youth wholeheartedly support socialism with Chinese characteristics, and are full of confidence when it comes to achieving the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
At a revolutionary site complex in Ciping, east China's Jinggangshan, a young bilingual tour guide, donning a suit, renders his service to visitors.
Mao Haofu, 33, has offered his services on more than 4,000 tours in Chinese and English in Jinggangshan, where the first rural revolutionary base of the CPC, a cradle of the Chinese revolution, was established in 1927.
After studying in Britain, Mao worked in Nanchang, capital city of east China's Jiangxi Province. He later quit his job and returned to his hometown Jinggangshan.
His choice is consistent with the family tradition, as his father and grandfather both devoted themselves to promoting the history of the revolution.
"It was the happiest thing in my life to be able to return to Jinggangshan and take over the cause from my grandfather," Mao said.
Young Chinese are also showing greater interests in the study of Marxism and Chinese political philosophies and theories.
In recent years, a number of teachers from programs focusing on ideological-political lessons have become "online celebrities," earning a sizable following. The innovation they bring to their classes makes Marxist classics easier to understand and relate to.
For example, the teachers and students of Nanjing University filmed a micro-series titled "A meeting in mind with Marx," which discusses Marxism in the form of a play through teacher-student dialogues. The series became an instant hit among young students.
At Fudan University, a volunteer team of Party members is serving at an exhibition hall of the Communist Manifesto. The volunteers include young teachers and doctoral and postgraduate students. They named the team "Spark," which signifies that each member can ignite the passion for learning about the power of Marxism.
Lu Tingting (R), a member of volunteer team of Party members, works at an exhibition hall of the Communist Manifesto at Fudan University in Shanghai, east China, June 30, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)
