China?s Generation Gap

Based on data collected for the Generation Gap Survey in Shanghai and updated to take into account contemporary trends, this book uses an empirical approach to study the generation gap in China. It covers various aspects of life from professional and family life to political participation and belief systems, analysing and comparing the values held by four different generations. Encompassing more than 2000 case studies and drawing on a wealth of fieldwork interviews, in particular it examines the experiences, thoughts and perceptions of adolescents, young adults, the middle-aged, and the elderly. As the largest sociological survey ever conducted regarding attitudes and value changes by different age groups in Shanghai, it highlights how social change and globalization have impacted on new generations, and the results indicate the dramatic difference and supersession of social ideologies between the generations.

A unique piece of research, shedding light on a changing Chinese society, China’s Generation Gap will be of huge value to students and scholars of Chinese culture and society, Chinese social policy, globalisation and cultural studies.

Jiaming Sun is a Sociology Professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce, USA. His recent publications include Chinese Globalization (2013) and Global Connectivity and Local Transformation (2008).

Dongmei Cheng is an Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at Texas A&M University-Commerce, USA. She has published numerous journal articles in the areas of sociolinguistics and teaching English as a second language.