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Über 300 Millionen Chinesen sind zwischen 16 und 30 Jahre alt. In sechs großartig erzählten und miteinander verwobenen Porträts fängt Alec Ash das Lebensgefühl dieser unüberschaubaren Generation ein, die in den Boomjahren nach Deng Xiaopings Reformen geboren wurde. Diese jungen Menschen hegen ganz unterschiedliche Träume für ihre Zukunft und ringen doch alle um ihren Platz in einer Gesellschaft, die von rasantem Wandel und enormem Konkurrenzkampf geprägt ist. Eindrücklich vermittelt Ash, wie es sich anfühlt, heute in China erwachsen zu werden, und wie diese riesige Generation tickt, die in den kommenden Jahren nicht nur ihr eigenes Land prägen und verändern wird.

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An agenda-changing account of what it means to be young in modern China.

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As read on BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.

This is the generation that will change China. The youth, over 320 million of them in their teens and twenties, more than the population of the USA. Born after Mao, with no memory of Tiananmen, they are destined to transform both their nation and the world.

These millennials, offspring of the one-child policy, face fierce competition to succeed. Pressure starts young, and their road isn´t easy. Their stories are also like those of young people all over the world: moving out of home, starting a career, falling in love.

Wish Lanterns follows the lives of six young Chinese. Dahai is a military child and netizen; ´Fred´ is a daughter of the Party. Lucifer is an aspiring superstar; Snail a country migrant addicted to online games. Xiaoxiao is a hipster from the freezing north; Mia a rebel from Xinjiang in the far west.

Alec Ash, a writer in Beijing of the same generation, has given us a vivid, gripping account of young China as it comes of age. Through individual stories, Wish Lanterns shows with empathy and insight the challenges and dreams that will define China´s future global impact.

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A provocative portrait of a fast-changing society riven by internal contradictions . . . a fine addition to the field, one of the best I have read about the individuals who make up a country that is all too often regarded as a monolith, but which abounds with diversity on multiple levels. Fluently written with nice touches of humour . . . this books supplies much food for thought, informing the wider debate while retaining its value as a closely observed picture of how some Chinese live today Financial Times

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