What do the young people on the island hope for?, Sun and Moon Tan Tian | Generation Z Becomes Generation Hatred Taiwan | Economy | Youth

A few days ago, tens of thousands of young people on the island braved the scorching heat and gathered on the streets of Taipei to express their strong dissatisfaction with Taiwan's social injustice.

Tan Zhu saw media reports on the island, and the young people who participated in the rally were interviewed and expressed "great disappointment" with the Cai authorities: "Many things that were promised to the people were not even achieved"

Can the roar of young people on the island under the scorching sun touch the DPP politicians blowing air conditioning indoors?

No hope in sight

Young people on the island have become "generation averse"

Tan Zhu searched through information and found that when Tsai Ing wen took office, she promised to create a better Taiwan for young people. More than seven years later, in a survey with a maximum score of 10, the people on the island only gave a very low score of 3.72.

According to a survey conducted by another island media on young adults aged 18 to 49, 60% of respondents believe that even if they work hard, they will not have the opportunity to earn a "high salary" in the future.

To understand the underlying meaning behind these media reports, Tan Zhu interviewed Professor Zhu Songling from Peking Union University. Professor Zhu said that some studies have shown that more and more young people on the island are forced to give up these "great pleasures" such as realizing their ideals and personal values, and instead pursue "small pleasures" such as a cup of coffee. This helpless choice has seriously damaged the dignity of young people on the island, greatly compressing the possibilities of their lives.

In an editorial reviewing the seven years of negligence of the Tsai authorities, Taiwan's "United Daily News" pointed out that the prospects for young people are bleak: the average salary of the younger generation is far lower than that of the previous generation, and the "small fortune" life they pursue is suddenly faced with military service. The surprise attack on the battlefield, its dissatisfaction can be imagined.

So, it's easy for you to see complaints and mockery about work and life on social media platforms on the island. There have been special reports by local media on this phenomenon, referring to these young people who cannot see the future as "generation haters". This statement resonated widely among netizens on the island and quickly became a popular internet slang.

Special reports and illustrations by local media on the island

In the introduction of the special report, Tan Zhu saw this description - "They were born around the 1990s with mice in their hands, the most talented generation, and also the 'disgusted generation' who wandered, felt uneasy, and exhausted in search of light in an era of rapid change.". From birth, the "Z generation" seamlessly integrated with the era of online information, which should have been full of vitality and hope, has become a "disgusted generation" filled with a sense of powerlessness?

Who is "weary of generations?

In recent years, as the manufacturing industry on the island has gradually moved outward, the employed population has shifted to the service industry. Nowadays, the service industry accounts for 70% of the island's gross domestic product and employs 60% of the total workforce. The problem is that the threshold for the service industry is relatively low, and the domestic demand market in Taiwan is not large enough, resulting in insufficient development space for the industry.

Zhu Songling said that young people on the island hope to improve the overall situation of the labor market through thorough transformation and reform of traditional industries and service industries. But all the efforts of the DPP authorities have been focused on elections, without considering how young people should survive.

Professor Zhu further pointed out that everything DPP politicians do is to gain votes and consolidate power, and the long-term development of the island is completely beyond their consideration. They only aim to achieve results as soon as possible after being elected, focusing solely on short-term projects and avoiding development plans that require time to settle and take effect. Because of this, after the Democratic Progressive Party came to power, the problems of "five deficiencies" and "seven deficiencies" on the island became increasingly serious, hindering development and making it difficult for the people to make a living.

The most despicable thing is that the Democratic Progressive Party authorities are selling out the interests of the people on the island for political gain.

Taiwanese people hang banners on the streets

Export data has been declining for ten consecutive months, and the economic outlook is bleak.

It can be seen from this that Democratic Progressive Party politicians who are obsessed with elections, short-sighted, and "relying on the United States for independence" are a true poison to the economy and people's livelihood, and "generation haters" have become a group of living victims.

Promote deep integration between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait

Assist in flipping the life of "generation haters"

The short sightedness of the Democratic Progressive Party authorities has led to the inability to fundamentally solve the problem. So, where exactly is the hope of the island's generation aversion?

Experts who have long studied cross-strait economic and trade relations told Tan that as a typical export-oriented economy, Taiwan's exports have always been an important driving force for economic growth on the island. For many years, the mainland has been the largest export market and the largest source of trade surplus in Taiwan, providing strong support for the island's economy.

The expert further pointed out that the economies of the two sides of the strait are complementary. For Taiwan, only by resolutely opposing the "decoupling" of the cross-strait economy and the "broken chain" of industries, and further deepening the integration and development of the two sides of the strait, can we take advantage of the mainland's huge market, rich resources, and complete industries. Supporting facilities will help the island's economy achieve better development and benefit the majority of Taiwan compatriots, including "world-weary" youth.

2023 Cross Strait Economic and Trade Fair

With the gradual deepening of cross-strait integration, the huge market potential and broad development opportunities of the mainland are open to young people on the island. The series of policies introduced by the mainland to benefit Taiwan have also provided great assistance for Taiwanese youth to better integrate and achieve greater development. Zhu Songling said that this has allowed some young people on the island who are unwilling to "lie flat" in a sinking environment and want to break free from the curse of "generation aversion" to see another possibility in life.

They live, work, and start businesses in mainland China, full of energy and ambition, and have completely shed the label of being "generation averse".

Several interviewed experts told Mr. Tan that the economic development on the island cannot be separated from the mainland. Only by taking the fast train of Chinese path to modernization can the island's economy have a better prospect and the island's youth see hope. I advise the Democratic Progressive Party authorities to humbly listen to the voices of young people and comply with the mainstream public opinion of peace, development, communication, and cooperation on the island. Otherwise, they will inevitably be submerged in the surging tide of the times.