China has recently been in the news with the negative protests surrounding the Olympic torch ritual which precede the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.  With disruptive protests in France and the United States, Chinese youth struggles to define and "market" itself to the world.

Our research on China's Generation Y has demonstrated that Chinese youth are strongly pro-China.  Prior to the Olympics, our research showed that the youth held pro-China sentiments toward Taiwan.  Further probing and analysis indicated a mild tension between the West and the East, which the youth handle on a daily basis from chatting on the internet to arguing with their traditional parents at home.

Our current tracking of China's youth indicates that Chinese youth are becoming more defensive to their integration to the world amidst the Olympic games.

SIS International Research published the first book on China's Generation Y, on the youth born between the years 1980 and 1990 based on extensive interviews with young peoples in Chinese urban centers.  Michael Stanat, author of China's Generation Y and a Senior Analyst on youth marketing worldwide at SIS International, states,

"China's youth are facing China's first hurdle to its most important rendez-vous with the rest of the world in recent times.  An attack on the Olympics is an attack on the new China and therefore an attack on the identity of China's rising youth who are the architects of such a culture.  This perspective is necessary as the Olympics progress and the youth carefully scrutinize the reactions by others to China's major introduction to the world."

Since China's youth are bridging the gap between Western and Eastern cultures, the tension arising over the last few months is of significance to young Chinese individuals.  According to Stanat, it causes them to further struggle to redefine their country's and their own image.   Consequently, this tension weakens the allegiance that China's youth has towards the Global youth culture.

Secondly at such an impressionable and important event, this tension provides the roots of deep-seeded tension.  Allegiances and associations will be reevaluated.  The youth will not easily forget France's reaction to the torch relay or demonstrations throughout several Western countries.  While it is unlikely that China's Generation Y will immediately boycott the brands that they hold dearly and that define them as a generation, they will not forget the events in other countries related to China's Olympics. These attitudes can impact buying decisions.

The Olympics are not just a sporting event to China's Generation Y.  Essentially, this historic event is a proclamation of individual identity.