President Xi Jinping has a vision for China: “one country, one people, one ideology, one party, and one leader.” But a recent report suggests that China’s youth may not be on board. According to the Financial Times, students are increasingly disengaged and even openly critical of the mandatory propaganda classes designed to promote Xi’s vision and the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) ideology.
These classes, which often carry titles like ‘Marxism and social science methodology’ and ‘Xi Jinping’s thoughts on the rule of law’, are not optional. They are essential for graduation, and failing them can result in repeating the exam or even failing an entire degree. But the classes are facing a growing wave of apathy and cynicism. Students interviewed by the Financial Times describe the classes as “a waste of time,” filled with tedious coursework or simply too boring. During a four-hour propaganda class at a Chinese university, a quarter of the students were observed sleeping, while others were visibly bored or engaged in other work.
The disconnect between the party’s message and the student’s reality is striking. While the CPC sees these classes as a tool to instill party ethos and suppress dissent, they are failing on multiple fronts. Not only are the classes unpopular, but they are also prompting students to question the very principles they are meant to uphold. This questioning is particularly alarming to the Chinese regime, which has historically been intolerant of dissent.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that China’s youth are increasingly aware of the discrepancies between the party’s rhetoric and the lived realities of everyday life. One young person questioned the regime’s definition of Marxism, suggesting that if “doing things well” is the sole definition, then even Bill Gates could be considered a Marxist. Another student argued that the propaganda classes are a tool to distract young people from real issues facing China, adding, “It’s much harder to distract adults. You feel these problems on your own skin. So I don’t think any adults will take these classes to heart and some children may ignore them too.”
This growing questioning and skepticism among China’s youth is a significant development. It suggests that the CPC’s attempt to control the narrative and suppress dissent through propaganda may be failing. Whether this represents a shift in China’s political landscape or a temporary blip remains to be seen. However, the increasing disengagement with propaganda classes signals a potential challenge to Xi Jinping’s vision of an ideologically unified China.
