Tees speak for a new generation


A woman selling T-shirts with "Go China" in Wuhu, Anhui. Recent events such as the torch relay and earthquake in Sichuan have made T-shirts with patriotic messages popular.

ZHANG Ming's "Love saves the world!" T-shirt sold like crazy. The 27-year-old designer was peddling it in downtown Beijing on May 18 to raise money for earthquake victims in Sichuan. On that day, he raised more than 10,000 yuan.

"I was amazed by the shirt's appeal, especially to young people," said Zhang. "I guess people like the T-shirts because they help convey their concern for the earthquake victims."

Means of expression

T-shirts have long been cheap, comfortable and a popular means of communication. Young people use them to express their opinions about the environment, society and the world.

Wang Sibin, a sociology professor at Peking University, believes T-shirt slogans are a silent but powerful means of expression. In the early 1990s, the cotton garment was still known as a "cultural shirt". Young people wore them with slogans such as "I'm fed up! Leave me alone!" or "Getting rich is all there is".

"It reflected the mentality of young people at that time," said Wang. "The country was just opening up. Young people wanted to live a better life. At the same time, they wanted to communicate their personal feelings and frustrations.

Since then, pop culture, including movies and TV shows, has helped produce a new wave of T-shirt slogans. So have important events, such as the riots in Tibet and the protests that followed the global Olympic torch relay.

Chen Qianzhu, a 22-year-old student at Ocean University of China in Qingdao, said he liked T-shirts that carry patriotic messages.

"Recent incidents, like the torch relay and the earthquake, have made me realize that we Chinese must unite together to overcome difficulties," said Chen. "I am a cynical person. But I love my country. And the T-shirt a good way to help me show this feeling."

Popular slogans

Go China!

Go Sichuan!

I love China

I love China more than ever before.

I love Tibet.

Tibet was, is and always will be a part of China!