Unlike their parent generation who went to cities with蛇 skin bags on their shoulders, the new generation of migrant workers "go to cities with rolling suitcases"

by zhoukun103 on 2012-03-02 23:26:46

60477142012-02-24 14:39:00.0 [2012・The Happiness I Want] Cultural Loneliness of the New Generation of Migrant Workers: Leisure = Sleeping + Idle Chatting

Young migrant workers, born in the "80s" and "90s", are the fresh blood flowing in cities. However, most of them, like their parents' generation, create urban material prosperity with hard work while enduring cultural loneliness brought by city life. Working during the day and sleeping at night has become the lifestyle for many rural migrants working in cities. Although their cultural lives have become richer compared to before, there is still a large gap between their current situation and actual needs. According to surveys, 80% of migrant workers spend their leisure time either "sleeping" or "chatting idly."

Among the new generation of migrant workers, there has emerged a phenomenon of "high demand" for leisure culture, but real-life conditions often dampen their enthusiasm. Experts point out that time and purchasing power are only part of the reason for the lack of spiritual and cultural life among migrant workers. The cultural divide between urban and rural areas is the biggest obstacle to the spiritual and cultural life of migrant workers.

Currently, China's total number of migrant workers reaches 242 million. A significant portion of this massive group consists of "post-80s" and even "post-90s" new-generation migrant workers. They are the fresh blood flowing in cities. However, most of them, like their parents' generation, create urban material prosperity through hard work while enduring the cultural loneliness brought by city life. The 17th Plenary Session emphasized quickly integrating migrant workers into the urban public cultural service system so they can generally enjoy free or discounted basic public cultural services. At the recent National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference meeting on "deepening cultural system reform, promoting the development of cultural undertakings and cultural industries," some national political advisors called for effectively protecting and ensuring the cultural rights of migrant workers and meeting the cultural needs of the migrant worker group.

Young people who leave their hometowns to come to Foxconn live in bustling factories crowded with people, yet they feel spiritually "lonely, isolated, desolate, and sorrowful." Heavy work pressure, meager wages, monotonous lives, bleak prospects, emotional entanglements, and family burdens make their hearts full of distress and anguish.

More than 70% of the new generation of migrant workers find their leisure activities "not very rich" or "very boring." Among respondents, 79.12% choose to watch TV or sleep after work, while only 17% engage in learning or training during their spare time. Less than 5% visit libraries, cultural centers, museums, or memorials. Most of the new generation of migrant workers' spiritual and cultural lives focus on simple entertainment activities like playing cards or surfing the internet, with fewer actively participating in learning-oriented activities.

Enriching the spiritual and cultural lives of the new generation of migrant workers is an urgent task. "The new generation of migrant workers' desire for spiritual and cultural life is stronger than that of the older generation." They differ significantly from the older generation in terms of employment perspectives and lifestyle choices. After entering the city, the traces of rural society change; their clothing and appearance are no different from urban children, and their thoughts and value orientations become more diversified. They have strong individual awareness, and modern information tools such as television, mobile phones, and the Internet broaden their horizons, raising their demand levels. Their demand types shift from survival-oriented to development-oriented.

"Leisure deficiency" is the most concerning issue: "Not really relaxing" versus "How to relax." Working during the day and sleeping at night is the life pattern for many rural migrants working in cities. Surveys indicate that although the cultural lives of migrant workers have improved compared to before, there is still a significant gap between their current situation and actual needs. According to investigations, 80% of migrant workers spend their leisure time either "sleeping" or "chatting idly."

Besides "sleeping" and "chatting idly," going online and watching TV remain the mainstream activities for the new generation of migrant workers, with a large portion in a state of "not really relaxing." Even if they want to enrich their leisure cultural lives, they face economic and psychological pressures. "How to relax" also becomes a hidden pain for the new generation of migrant workers.

Li Hua, from Heze, Shandong, works as a security guard at a company in Beijing. At 19 years old, he has been on the job for nearly a year. "Apart from surfing the internet or watching TV, I go back to my dormitory to sleep," Li Hua says. "Activities like watching movies or traveling require money, and I don't really want to move around much anyway. Using the company computer or my phone to surf the web feels pretty good, and I've never thought about going out." Li Hua explains. His monthly expenses, aside from living costs, are primarily for internet data.

Like Li Hua, his few colleagues are roughly the same age. Their daily leisure activities mainly consist of chatting online, and they rarely visit parks or malls. Although they have lived in Beijing for quite some time, they are not very familiar with the geographical environment around their workplace. Once, when they needed to go to a nearby bank to open an account, it was led by a staff member from the human resources department. "None of us knows how to get to that bank," Li Hua says helplessly.

"For our kind of work, we're pretty tired by the end of the day, so we don't have the time or energy to think about other things," another security guard adds. Many believe that earning a living here is enough, and if they do well, they can send some money back home. As for leisure culture, it seems too distant from them. Especially for those engaged in heavy physical labor, long hours of intense work leave them without the strength or energy to pursue leisure activities, often rushing to wash up and sleep immediately after work.

Wang, a worker at a hotel in Beijing, comes from a rural area in Hebei Province. Having worked at the hotel for nearly two years, Wang observes that most of the young workers he interacts with prefer not to socialize with urban residents, instead preferring to stay within their small circles and not actively integrate into urban cultural life. This mentality stems largely from their "semi-worker, semi-farmer" identity characteristics, which give them a sense of imbalance and inferiority. Influenced by these psychological factors, they tend to be more closed off, often abandoning any potential experiences of leisure cultural activities.

On one hand, there are those like Li Hua who "don't really relax," while others are constantly puzzled by "how to relax." Xu Lin, from Zhoukou, Henan, came to Beijing a year ago to work in marketing. Her career goal is to be promoted to department supervisor after a few years. Xu Lin makes full use of her limited leisure time to study relevant professional knowledge and continuously improve herself. In addition, she enjoys watching movies and traveling, making her a typical example of someone with "three highs" (high education level, high career aspirations, and high material and spiritual enjoyment requirements). Since she wants to further her education, Xu Lin often visits large bookstores in Zhongguancun and Xidan to read. "Although I always manage to find a seat, there are still too few, and I often have to search several floors. Otherwise, I would have to stand," Xu Lin remarks.

"As for other leisure cultural activities, I basically rely on company-organized events. Watching movies myself is too expensive, with tickets costing dozens or even hundreds of yuan. For someone at my income level, just covering rent and living expenses without asking my parents for money is already a challenge. If I do have extra money, I'd rather spend it on a training course," Xu Lin laments. This sentiment resonates with many others in similar situations.

There has emerged a "high demand" phenomenon for leisure cultural activities among the new generation of migrant workers, but real-life conditions often dampen their enthusiasm. When "high demand" meets "low reality," the stark disparity leaves them feeling as though they are stranded on a barren island in the realm of leisure cultural activities. Experts point out that time and purchasing power are only part of the reasons for the lack of spiritual and cultural life among migrant workers. The cultural divide between urban and rural areas is the biggest obstacle to their spiritual and cultural life.

For lonely souls seeking solace:

"The creation of atmosphere" and "the establishment of environment"

Unlike their parents' generation who "carried snake-skin bags into the city," the new generation of migrant workers "drag rolling suitcases into the city," leaving behind their rural dreams. They carry urban dreams, hoping to integrate into city life and become new citizens.

Gan Xiangwei, who works as a security guard at Peking University, is relatively fortunate. Gan comes from a small mountain village in Guangshui City, Hubei Province, and came to Peking University with the dream of continuing his studies. As he puts it, he chose this job because of Peking University's reputation. After arriving, Gan Xiangwei made full use of the quality educational resources provided by Peking University, studying diligently and attending lectures whenever he had free time. Eventually, he successfully passed the adult college entrance exam and was admitted to the Chinese Department of Peking University, fulfilling his dream of further education. Now, he is engaged in literary creation, adding color to his rich entertainment life. Reflecting on his choice, Gan Xiangwei says, "Being able to come to Peking University is truly a blessing. The humanistic environment and cultural facilities here are the main foundation for realizing my dream."

Zhang Kai, from Gu'an County, Langfang City, currently serves as the team leader of the security squad at Peking University and is enrolled in the Open University. With a determined face often adorned with a friendly smile, Zhang Kai differs from Gan Xiangwei. After graduating from junior high school, Zhang Kai came to Peking University as a security guard purely to make a living. "At the time, I never thought about further education. I took this job just to survive. But after coming to the team, I found that many colleagues were passionate about learning, and influenced by Peking University's strong humanistic atmosphere, I naturally joined their ranks," Zhang Kai explains. At Peking University, there are study rooms for self-study, libraries for reading, and the Hundred-Year Lecture Hall for watching movies... In short, all kinds of cultural and entertainment activities are available on campus. Since coming here, Zhang Kai hasn't left the campus much. Captain Wang Gui Ming of the Peking University Security Team says that the security team strives to create opportunities for its members' development, sincerely hoping that each young man can not only earn a salary but also achieve better self-improvement.

Peking University is not alone; the spiritual and cultural lives of migrant workers have garnered widespread attention from the government and society. Recently, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions jointly issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Cultural Work of Migrant Workers." This is the first comprehensive arrangement for the cultural construction of migrant workers in China. As an important measure to eliminate the urban-rural dual structure gap and promote the equalization of public cultural services, this initiative demonstrates that the Party and the government are using the power of culture to build a solid bridge for over 200 million migrant workers to integrate into cities.

Additionally, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance issued opinions on promoting the free opening of national art galleries, public libraries, and cultural centers (stations), clearly stating that by the end of this year, all national and provincial art galleries (stations) will be fully open to the public for free. All public libraries and cultural centers (stations) across the country will achieve barrier-free and zero-threshold entry, with all public space facilities and venues fully open for free, and all basic service projects provided for free. In this way, more migrant workers can directly enjoy the joy of "quenching their thirst" for cultural life.

Culture is the bridge for migrant workers to integrate into cities.

Feng Gang (standing committee member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Quyi Artists Association): Under the background of generational transformation among migrant workers, where the new generation of migrant workers gradually become the main body, their demands for cultural life show many new features and situations. Meanwhile, in terms of safeguarding the cultural rights of migrant workers and developing their cultural work, there are still issues such as insufficient attention and lagging systematic research. It is imperative to take actions to effectively protect and ensure the cultural rights of migrant workers. We should actively guide migrant workers to utilize community cultural facilities and promote their integration into urban life through cultural exchanges. At the same time, we should accelerate the formation of a migrant worker cultural work mechanism characterized by "government leadership, enterprise co-construction, and social participation," giving full play to the backbone role of public welfare cultural units. We should continue to promote the free opening of public cultural venues, attract social forces to participate in migrant worker cultural construction, encourage and guide various non-governmental public welfare organizations to participate in migrant worker cultural work in various forms, making them a beneficial supplement to government public cultural services. We should establish a cultural service product supply mechanism guided by demand. Strengthen the investigation of migrant workers' cultural needs, fully respect their status as cultural subjects, encourage and support the development of migrant worker cultural groups, and guide migrant workers to participate in healthy cultural activities. Additionally, we should establish a stable migrant worker cultural work investment guarantee mechanism. Incorporate the daily expenses for migrant worker cultural work into the overall budget of public cultural services in their place of residence, gradually establishing a migrant worker cultural work funding guarantee mechanism dominated by government investment with active participation from social forces.

Bian Faji (National Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Chairman of the Chinese Acrobatics Association): Culture is the bridge for migrant workers to integrate into cities. Through research, we understand that after an increasing number of the new generation of migrant workers flow into cities, their leisure cultural life is generally lacking, and they are greatly restricted in participating in leisure cultural activities. They generally lack satisfaction and are in a state of cultural life deprivation. It is recommended to increase "spiritual sustenance" for the new generation of migrant workers, such as building migrant worker theme parks, providing fitness equipment, opening migrant worker clubs, increasing cultural and entertainment facilities, and reducing related fees through fiscal investment and subsidies, creating a good leisure environment for the new generation of migrant workers. At the same time, more community cultural activities suitable for the new generation of migrant workers should be organized, consciously expanding the diversity of leisure cultural life, stimulating the participation enthusiasm of the new generation of migrant workers, and improving their level of leisure cultural life. The union department should supervise and guide enterprises to incorporate migrant worker cultural construction into their management systems, regularly organizing entertainment and sports activities, and establishing migrant worker cultural activity rooms and book corners. Truly make cultural content with strong ideological, interesting, and entertaining qualities accessible to a wide range of the new generation of migrant workers.