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Many youngsters born in the 1990s have recently begun to ridicule themselves as “middle-aged” people. An article widely circulated online redefines youth as those between the ages of 15 and 24， based on the sense of wellbeing. In this sense， those who are at or above the age of 25 are middle-aged people.
This concept is contradictory to the traditional definition. Traditionally， the age of 35 or 40 is seen as the threshold for midlife. By this time， most people already have their own homes and children. When young people in their late 20s are called middle-aged， this means they should also have accomplished these objectives.
However， most of the younger generations have just graduated from university at the age of 25 or so. Blessed with richer material lives than previous generations， those who were born in the 1990s also have to face up to much tougher competition in the job market and struggle with much higher housing prices in big cities.
The day they emerge from the ivory tower， they are surrounded by various problems concerning work and life. Looking into the unpredictable future， they are filled with anxiety. It is against this backdrop that their so-called midlife crisis occurs.
While some label those youths as too weak and fragile， unable to cope with difficulties in life， there are also some expressing sympathy for them， given that they are struggling in a very tough social environment.
Life has just b egun
Chi Qing （www.qianlong.com）： Traditionally in China， middle-aged people have to take care of their young children， support their elderly parents and， at the same time， work hard to earn a living for their families. That is what the so-called “midlife crisis” is about.
Indeed， young people in their 20s are under heavy pressure. Most of them fi nd it diffi cult to get promoted at work， given their lack of work experience. Meanwhile， housing prices have skyrocketed in the past decade， which means as they reach the age at which they are likely to marry， young people are still unable to have a stable home. Probably， it’s not an exaggeration to say that an old soul lives in the hearts of younger generations.
Actually， people at every stage of life encounter diffi culties. If one chooses to work and struggle， he or she will probably embrace a better future； but if one chooses to surrender to diffi culties and give up when faced with a crisis， the result will be quite different. It has nothing to do with age. Wang Qingfeng （Nanfang Daily）： With an accelerating pace of life， young people have to face tremendous social pressure at the age of 25. This is not a challenge for only Chinese youth. Around the world， a vast majority of young people cannot afford to buy their own homes. However， the age of 25 also marks a new starting point in people’s lives. To some extent， life has just begun， and there are infi nite possibilities ahead.
For those who have just graduated from college， anxiety and bewilderment are unavoidable. Nowadays， some young people either feel overwhelmed by the diffi culties in real life， or live under an illusion. In this way， they can only become increasingly anxious. What they need to do is build up a feeling of security through diligence instead of worrying about the future.
Whether someone born in 1992 has entered middle age is largely related to one’s own psychological and mental state. Some people at the age of 25 feel confi dent about themselves， while some others feel anxious. Similarly， at the age of 40， some feel a sense of crisis， while others feel fine. The differences stem from people’s overall abilities and their expectations about the future. Therefore， the claim that those born in 1992 have already entered middle age is actually reminding society that everyone needs to face up to pressure， and the best way out is to change one’s mental state and work hard， so as to better cope with potential crises.
Tao Shun （China Youth Daily）： It’s possible that young people above the age of 25 feel anxious about becoming old， but their anxiety is different from that of real middle-aged people. Mostly， the young people just don’t want to“grow up.”
Can a 25-year-old youth be defined as a middle-aged person？ Normally， no one would say so. Under China’s education system， undergraduates leave school at 22， and postgraduates do so at 25. Since they have spent many years in school， they may feel that they are poorly prepared for the real world of work. They expose their helplessness and anxiety in the hope of being cared for. The claim that a 25-year-old person is middle-aged is a kind of self-mockery， but instead of covering up their weakness， this humor reveals their fragile hearts.
Li Hongxing （People’s Daily）： Young people born in the 1990s have gained a lot of experience within a very short period of time. They have grown up at a time of fastimproving Internet technology. Their first two decades of life have been much richer than those of previous generations. Their world is more open， diverse and international. Having already experienced so much in life， they might feel tired. Thus a sense of“midlife crisis” arises， closely related to the rapid pace of socioeconomic development. Like other historical periods， this era has both good and bad aspects. The negative thing is that the young will soon feel the pressure of life. The positive side is that there is a large enough stage for them to play on. Actually， people’s understanding of age is more fl exible than before. No one will be rejected and thereby miss chances to become successful just because they are young or old. People are free to play their role at any age. So， it is not necessary for younger generations to be so pessimistic.
The pressure is real
Zhu Changjun （China Youth Daily）： While analyzing younger generations’ psychological state of being afraid of becoming old， we cannot turn a blind eye to the overall social backdrop. Although there is self-mockery or ridicule in their claims， it’s obvious that they are not the only group that is feeling anxious about becoming old.
Mainstream values favor the young. Ongoing social transformation and rapid social changes make people feel worried that they cannot keep up with the times. The emphasis put by companies and various sectors of society on being young means older people are more likely to be excluded from opportunities. While companies tend to employ younger staff than in the past， the time young people spend in school is becoming longer， which means they begin to join the workforce later than previous generations. Today’s young people have to face fierce competition at work.
Their anxiety stems from social pressure and their sense of responsibility for their families. Once labeled as a middle-aged person， one feels it is urgent to buy a home， to get married， etc. The paradox here is that， while current younger generations mostly begin to work later than their predecessors by several years， the social criteria by which an individual’s success is measured remain unchanged. While in the past most people aged 30 were married and had their own homes， today， many young people around 30 have just finished an advanced university degree.
Anxiety about becoming old may even curb young people’s vitality and creativity. The key lies in improving the overall social environment， and it’s not enough to just appease them by offering them “chicken soup.”
This concept is contradictory to the traditional definition. Traditionally， the age of 35 or 40 is seen as the threshold for midlife. By this time， most people already have their own homes and children. When young people in their late 20s are called middle-aged， this means they should also have accomplished these objectives.
However， most of the younger generations have just graduated from university at the age of 25 or so. Blessed with richer material lives than previous generations， those who were born in the 1990s also have to face up to much tougher competition in the job market and struggle with much higher housing prices in big cities.
The day they emerge from the ivory tower， they are surrounded by various problems concerning work and life. Looking into the unpredictable future， they are filled with anxiety. It is against this backdrop that their so-called midlife crisis occurs.
While some label those youths as too weak and fragile， unable to cope with difficulties in life， there are also some expressing sympathy for them， given that they are struggling in a very tough social environment.
Life has just b egun
Chi Qing （www.qianlong.com）： Traditionally in China， middle-aged people have to take care of their young children， support their elderly parents and， at the same time， work hard to earn a living for their families. That is what the so-called “midlife crisis” is about.
Indeed， young people in their 20s are under heavy pressure. Most of them fi nd it diffi cult to get promoted at work， given their lack of work experience. Meanwhile， housing prices have skyrocketed in the past decade， which means as they reach the age at which they are likely to marry， young people are still unable to have a stable home. Probably， it’s not an exaggeration to say that an old soul lives in the hearts of younger generations.
Actually， people at every stage of life encounter diffi culties. If one chooses to work and struggle， he or she will probably embrace a better future； but if one chooses to surrender to diffi culties and give up when faced with a crisis， the result will be quite different. It has nothing to do with age. Wang Qingfeng （Nanfang Daily）： With an accelerating pace of life， young people have to face tremendous social pressure at the age of 25. This is not a challenge for only Chinese youth. Around the world， a vast majority of young people cannot afford to buy their own homes. However， the age of 25 also marks a new starting point in people’s lives. To some extent， life has just begun， and there are infi nite possibilities ahead.
For those who have just graduated from college， anxiety and bewilderment are unavoidable. Nowadays， some young people either feel overwhelmed by the diffi culties in real life， or live under an illusion. In this way， they can only become increasingly anxious. What they need to do is build up a feeling of security through diligence instead of worrying about the future.
Whether someone born in 1992 has entered middle age is largely related to one’s own psychological and mental state. Some people at the age of 25 feel confi dent about themselves， while some others feel anxious. Similarly， at the age of 40， some feel a sense of crisis， while others feel fine. The differences stem from people’s overall abilities and their expectations about the future. Therefore， the claim that those born in 1992 have already entered middle age is actually reminding society that everyone needs to face up to pressure， and the best way out is to change one’s mental state and work hard， so as to better cope with potential crises.
Tao Shun （China Youth Daily）： It’s possible that young people above the age of 25 feel anxious about becoming old， but their anxiety is different from that of real middle-aged people. Mostly， the young people just don’t want to“grow up.”
Can a 25-year-old youth be defined as a middle-aged person？ Normally， no one would say so. Under China’s education system， undergraduates leave school at 22， and postgraduates do so at 25. Since they have spent many years in school， they may feel that they are poorly prepared for the real world of work. They expose their helplessness and anxiety in the hope of being cared for. The claim that a 25-year-old person is middle-aged is a kind of self-mockery， but instead of covering up their weakness， this humor reveals their fragile hearts.
Li Hongxing （People’s Daily）： Young people born in the 1990s have gained a lot of experience within a very short period of time. They have grown up at a time of fastimproving Internet technology. Their first two decades of life have been much richer than those of previous generations. Their world is more open， diverse and international. Having already experienced so much in life， they might feel tired. Thus a sense of“midlife crisis” arises， closely related to the rapid pace of socioeconomic development. Like other historical periods， this era has both good and bad aspects. The negative thing is that the young will soon feel the pressure of life. The positive side is that there is a large enough stage for them to play on. Actually， people’s understanding of age is more fl exible than before. No one will be rejected and thereby miss chances to become successful just because they are young or old. People are free to play their role at any age. So， it is not necessary for younger generations to be so pessimistic.
The pressure is real
Zhu Changjun （China Youth Daily）： While analyzing younger generations’ psychological state of being afraid of becoming old， we cannot turn a blind eye to the overall social backdrop. Although there is self-mockery or ridicule in their claims， it’s obvious that they are not the only group that is feeling anxious about becoming old.
Mainstream values favor the young. Ongoing social transformation and rapid social changes make people feel worried that they cannot keep up with the times. The emphasis put by companies and various sectors of society on being young means older people are more likely to be excluded from opportunities. While companies tend to employ younger staff than in the past， the time young people spend in school is becoming longer， which means they begin to join the workforce later than previous generations. Today’s young people have to face fierce competition at work.
Their anxiety stems from social pressure and their sense of responsibility for their families. Once labeled as a middle-aged person， one feels it is urgent to buy a home， to get married， etc. The paradox here is that， while current younger generations mostly begin to work later than their predecessors by several years， the social criteria by which an individual’s success is measured remain unchanged. While in the past most people aged 30 were married and had their own homes， today， many young people around 30 have just finished an advanced university degree.
Anxiety about becoming old may even curb young people’s vitality and creativity. The key lies in improving the overall social environment， and it’s not enough to just appease them by offering them “chicken soup.”