This weekend my sister's son stayed with his parents. His girlfriend traveled out of town with her parents. Sunday morning he drove us to see his newly remodeled apartment. It looks new, modern and spacious.
While I was with the young man, I inquired about his work and wedding plan. He said, our parents give us money for a formal wedding ceremony, but we don’t want to give it to some wedding preparation agent or on entertaining friends and relatives. The cost can run up to 20 to 40 thousand yuan. We’d rather spend it on ourselves, like doing some traveling abroad, etc.
While I applaud him for his practical approach and his courage to spend money on something more meaningful to them than conforming societal expectations, I realize a growing trend among people of their generation who prioritize life's experiences over traditions and material possessions. My son and his wife got married without a wedding, so did his sister-in-law.
A few days ago an old classmate of mine told me, her son spending time on learning, body-building, and traveling. He is representing a positive evolution towards valuing personal fulfillment and enrichment over traditional markers of success in life.
I imagine that Mao Zedong might view this emphasis on personal fulfillment over meeting societal obligations as being individualistic 个人主义 (Gè rén zhǔ yì). Or perhaps Mao could evolve over time when he saw the changing attitudes towards individualism in China today.