The Communist Youth League as a bridge between the Party and Chinese youth in the post-Tian'anmen era

Towards an organization focusing on social services?

Abstract

An instrument of political socialization of the younger generations and a privileged access channel to the ranks of the Chinese Communist Party, the Communist Youth League has partnered up with the Party in the various phases of its history, acting as a bridge between the Party and young people and carrying out important support functions for party policies. Despite having been going through a phase of decline for some years, the Youth League remains, to this day, an essential component of the Chinese political and institutional system. The economic reforms impacted on this organization which, while remaining structurally dependent on the Party, has seen an expansion of its traditional role, in order to be more attractive to its constituency, and at the same time maintain its function as a link and guide for the Chinese youth. Since the early Nineties, institutional adaptation and innovation have undoubtedly been significant. This contribution aims to provide an analysis of the functioning of the Youth League in the People's Republic of China and to outline the evolution of official youth work since the Tian'anmen crackdown, taking into consideration the main official documents. Particular attention will be paid to the adaptation process that has been initiated in order to reconcile its twofold identity as Party assistant and youth organization and strengthen the link with the new generations. This article will show that the transition of the focus of the League’s work towards social services, while attempting to address newly emerged needs and problems affecting young people, has been primarily understood as a way to socialize them in the official political discourse and practices and maintain the stability of the system in a context of changing State-society relations.