In Praise of Hardship, or the Labour-Schooling Poetics of Chinese Youth

['Yukun Zeng', 'Bosse Hultgren', 'Yukun Zeng Holds A Phd In Anthropology The University Of Chicago', 'Is A Postdoctoral Research Fellow At The Lieberthal-Rogel Center For Chinese Studies At The University Of Michigan. His Book Project', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img'] Made in China Journal 2025-08-26 00:00:00

Beyond the spatial similarities, the BYD construction site in Brazil also mirrored the rigid temporal rhythms of Chinese high schools. Or was this remark a radical eureka moment that revealed a deeper continuum—one that stretches from Chinese factories overseas to the dormitories of Chinese high schools? In Praise of HardshipThe most deeply ingrained moral sentiment about hardship among Chinese students and workers is a celebratory attitude—one that embraces rather than avoids difficulty. These expressions stem from distinct historical moments and reflect varied logics of hardship: hardship as moral cultivation, hardship as a ladder for social mobility, and hardship as a vehicle for revenge. 2014 ‘如果你的孩⼦在衡中上过学 [If Your Child Had Gone to School at Hengshui].’ Hebei Hengshui High School WeChat account, 8 October.