Inspiring youthful spirit subverts expectations

I feel that I didn't do anything earth-shattering in my younger years. The only thing that comes to mind is the time that I donated blood in my first week as a postgraduate student, and my passing out at the sight of blood.

I was curious about these young people who choose to pause their life after graduation or put their postgraduate studies on hold, and spend one, two or even three years volunteering in some of China's least-developed places.

Their choice to volunteer goes against the grain of the traditional progression from study to graduation to a working career.

Before I set out for the weeklong interview trip to Hami prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in late October, I had a few stereotypes in my mind, picturing sad types enduring undue hardships and humbly bragging about it.

But I was completely wrong. After I met these young people and saw where they lived and learned of their future plans, and even witnessed the pride in their work, be it canning fruit or chopping peppers, I understood why these people would choose to take part in such a program.

A young volunteer couple impressed me the most. They are both from Henan province in Central China and fell in love during their stint as volunteers in the region's Hami prefecture. The 20-somethings got married in 2022 after finishing their three years in Hami. They both now work in government bodies and plan to permanently settle down in the prefecture.

One half of the couple, Zhang Ziyue, told me that their decision to stay was made without any hesitation as she and her husband had experienced family-like love, warmth and help during their period volunteering, and they are bullish on the future development of the prefecture and the region.

"I think people outside of the region have many misconceptions related to Xinjiang. I still remember that in 2018 when I came to the region as a volunteer and shared a movie I watched on my WeChat moments, some of my college peers commented 'It's amazing that Xinjiang has cinemas!'. I was speechless at the time, and I think it's necessary for more people to learn what real life in Xinjiang is like," she said.

Zhang was talkative while her husband was a little bashful during the interview. They were both sincere and had a positive vision of their futures, and their life seemed to be "back on track" after diverting from the conventional path for a few years.

The young couple seems to embody a natural progression for the young volunteers I interviewed in the region, who are mostly serving in grassroots positions, dealing with trivial matters for the local residents. Their optimistic attitude toward life and work was not what I had thought about the younger generation previously, as they are often portrayed as being pampered or as rejecting the rat race and "lying flat" on social media.

In the end, I was a little bit envious of these young volunteers, who had the chance at gaining once-in-a-lifetime memories during those one to three years. I gained a better understanding of the words "If the young people are strong, the country will be strong", as their fulfilled spiritual life will drive them to grow into better individuals and then build the nation into a stronger one.