BEIJING, China (CNN) -- They're known as the "post 1980s" kids or the "Tiananmen-plus-20" generation: 200 million-strong, Web-savvy, pop-culture-conscious and decidedly apolitical.
As the world observes the 20th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, pro-democracy advocates abroad lament how little Chinese youth today know or care about the student-led movement that ended with the deaths of hundreds when tanks rumbled through the capital's streets and troops opened fire.
But what is lost in the generalization is whether today's political apathy is a fact or a front.
"Politics is not a game that we want to play or we can play," said "Holly," a 21-year-old college student, who like the rest of the people quoted in this article, agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.
"'Politics is the dirtiest kind of business. Stay as far as you can from it,' says my grandfather," she added. "So, we better focus on something that we are in control of. Practicality is what today's China is all about."
Indeed, if the generation today is focused more on individual success, it is because they are much better off and risk losing much more than their predecessors.
At the time of the Tiananmen uprising, China was isolated from the outside world, with skyrocketing inflation.
The government also makes it clear that dissent is not tolerated. Those who publicly challenged authority have been thrown in jail with harsh sentences.
"What happened then helped me to protect myself and my loved ones from ignorant sacrifices, which are extremely important," said "Rodney," a 25-year-old professional who works for a company abroad.
"You know what? The most foolish thing is to start a fight with a mad man. So you don't let the mad man see you. You just maybe throw stones at him, without letting him know."
For youths disillusioned with the system, that venue today is the Internet.
The nation's online population is the world's largest: 298 million users -- about the size of the entire United States.
Instead of plastering posters on college campuses, the agents of change are planting seeds in the blogosphere.
"You want to see where the freedom of expression movements are in China? Twenty years ago, it was on Tiananmen Square. Today it is on the Internet," said Xiao Qiang of the China Internet Project at the University of California, Berkeley, which looks at the effect of the Web on China's media and politics.
"Yes, the Internet is the greatest invention ever," said "Jessica," a 22-year-old recent graduate who works at a film studio. "It is like the combination of a time machine and a space machine. Not quite, but close enough."
Chinese law forbids the use of the Web to incite hatred and division or to promote the overthrow of the government. The government employs thousands to monitor sites, filtering for unwelcome content.
Keywords like "Tiananmen" and "Tibet" are tracked. Web sites, such as the video-sharing site YouTube, and media outlets, including CNN.com, are routinely blocked.
On Tuesday, Chinese censors blocked access to the micro-blogging site Twitter, as well as the photo sharing site Flickr and others.
My comment
The author depicted the youth, or post-1980's kids are become apthay to politics. In my opinion, it is because they were taught to not disucss politic. It is just like my parents and grandparents who told me that politic is the darkest.
I am 21 year-old this year and the so-called post 1980s kid. Although I am a Taiwanese, I aslo want to see China government could change to more demoncracy some day.
It is easy to understand why Beijing government blocked the Twitter or yutube because China has 298 internet users.
2.6.09
Iran's Facebook access restored
Iran has restored access to Facebook, the social networking site which had been blocked since Saturday.
Media close to reformists had suggested the site was suspended to prevent its use by backers of presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.
On Monday President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sidestepped questions about whether the authorities had ordered the blocking ahead of the 12 June election.
He said officials had no need to shut down any sites.
'Disappointment'
Correspondents say websites like Facebook have become an important way for candidates to mobilise younger voters in Iran ahead of the election.
Facebook, which says it has 175 million users worldwide, had expressed its disappointment over the disruption.
It said the problems had come "at a time when voters are turning to the internet as a source of information about election candidates and their positions".
Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former prime minister, is seen as one of the leading challengers to the incumbent, President Ahmadinejad.
Other candidates are a former speaker of parliament, Mehdi Karroubi, and an ex-head of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezai.
My comment
The social web site is increasingly influential in young people's social network. It is reasonably that we will get election information from here.
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