The Last Train Home

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Last Train Home –how the values have changed and the new values have emerged among the new generations in China? Yan Jiao Liu Humans: From Stone Age to Space Age November 28, 2012 In the documentary “Last Train Home” by Lixin Fan, sixteen years ago, the Zhangs left their young children to find work in the city. They hoped that their wages would lift their children into a better life by offering them the chance to get an education. However, in a bitter irony, their daughter, Qin, drops out of school and she too becomes a migrant worker. The confrontation of two different sets of values creates conflicts. Qin’s acts in the movie reflect how the values among the new generations in China have changed. Since the economic reforms in 1978, China has entered a period of rapid cultural changes. The new generations tend to be more individualistic and materialistic, as reflected throughout Qin’s thoughts and actions. 1. Who Are the New Generations? Economic development, political transformation, and cultural change often go together in a coherent pattern. Sun listed two driving forces behind the changing cultural landscape in China: “One is a domestic force, which stems from the market economic reforms. The other is an external force, which comes from economic globalization and Western cultural penetration.” Market-based economic activities have unleashed the individuals’ aspirations; everyone now has a chance to become rich. In the documentary, the parents often tell their children that if they study hard, they can leave the countryside and have a better life. Foreign direct investments, coupled with the forces of globalization, not only bring technology and job opportunities to Chinese economy, but also Western lifestyle and values. Two generations that are particularly affected by the economic reform and the Western cultural diffusion are those people who were

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