Nearly half of Chinese young people say they consider the just-concluded Olympics "important" to their lives and a lasting influence, an online poll has found.
There's even a new term associated with the Games, created to identify those born in the 1980s and 1990s who matured along with China's efforts to host the event: the Bird's Nest Generation, drawn from the nickname of the landmark National Stadium, said a China Youth Daily report on Monday.
"This term is all about self-confidence, the love of peace, patriotism, openness and friendliness," said the newspaper, which conducted the poll with news website Sina.com.cn on Sunday night as the Games closed.
Among some 3,000 respondents, 44.4 percent agreed that the Olympics were an "important life experience" and about 43 percent believed the Games had showcased China's 30 years of reform and economic growth, a period that also defined the young generation.
"They can speak foreign languages, they open their arms to people of different skin colors and races, and they are respectful and tolerant of both Western culture and Chinese traditions," the newspaper quoted media commentator Xu Xiaoqing as saying.
The group, aged 10 to 29, accounts for about one third of China's 1.3 billion people and the majority of the fast-growing online population. They were also vocal supporters of the Games during protests surrounding the Olympic torch relay.
Sometimes, they're called spoiled "princes" and "princesses" because of the one-child policy that focuses families' entire hopes on them.
But the survey gave a much brighter picture of this cohort.
Asked what the term Bird's Nest Generation represents, more than 55 percent chose "self-confidence," while 51.9 percent voted for "love of peace," 49.8 percent for "openness," 48.4 percent for "patriotism," 44.4 percent for "friendliness," 44.1 percent for "daring to dream," and 41.8 percent for "being ready to compete."
Other positive definitions included a sense of responsibility, joyfulness and spirit of participation.
"We were born at the right time to witness the success of the Olympics and enjoy the achievements of the opening up and reforms in our country," said Wang Shanshan, 24, from the Olympic co-host city of Qingdao.
The poll also found that many respondents supported increased contact with the rest of the world.
More than 44 percent said the world should learn and understand more about China, and 26 percent said they would make their own efforts to help achieve this goal.
For example, more than 13 percent said they would attach much more importance to studying foreign languages after the Olympics.
About one third of the poll respondents agreed that the Olympic spirit stood for fairness and justice. This would influence many people in terms of their life attitudes, according to the survey.
(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2008)