Photo: Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong S.A.R

As Sunday marks China's Youth Day, which falls on May 4 each year, various activities have been held across the country to celebrate Chinese youth's achievements and contributions to Chinese modernization. 

In Northwest China's Gansu Province, the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) Gansu provincial committee held a themed event at the Affiliated Primary School of Northwest Normal University. The event was attended by over 500 participants, including members of the CYLC and Young Pioneers. The event began with a solemn flag-raising ceremony, where all attendees sang the national anthem under the national flag, expressing their deep affection for the motherland, the Gansu Daily reported on Sunday.

An on-site lesson encouraged young attendees to strengthen their ideals and convictions through study, reflection, and action, while cultivating a strong sense of mission and responsibility. Liang Tongrui, a student from Northwest Normal University who participated in the event, said, "I will keep my feet on the ground, take proactive actions, strive to be a role model in my studies, and exemplify the vanguard role of a Party member," according to the Gansu Daily.

In North China's Shanxi Province, the Yingze District Committee of the CYLC hosted a themed concert celebrating Youth Day. The atmosphere was lively, with a dazzling array of performances. The piano piece "The Sea," the pipa solo "My Motherland," and the guitar performance "500 Miles" were performed one after another, earning rounds of applause from the audience, according to the Taiyuan Daily.

On Sunday morning, a "May 4th" flag-raising ceremony was held at the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War victory. Around 1,200 students from multiple Hong Kong youth uniformed groups attended the event, according to an online post from the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR. 

At 7:50 am, youth uniformed groups marched in with precise, synchronized Chinese-style foot drills. At exactly 8:00 am, as the national anthem "March of the Volunteers" played, the Five-Starred Red Flag was raised. All attendees stood at attention and sang the anthem with pride.

Also on Sunday, various government departments posted articles, pictures or videos on their social media accounts, celebrating Youth Day. For example, the People's Bank of China, the central bank, in an online post, encouraged young professionals to contribute to the country's efforts to build itself into a financial powerhouse. The Ministry of National Defense also said in a post that young officers and soldiers will realize their youthful dreams in the cause of strengthening the military.

This year marks the 106th anniversary of the May Fourth Movement, a monumental youth movement that ignited profound social changes in China.

Data released by the CYLC Central Committee on Saturday showed that, as of the end of December 2024, China had 75.318 million Youth League members and 4.397 million Youth League organizations nationwide. In 2024 alone, 6.417 million new members were admitted.

Chinese youths are making great contributions to Chinese modernization as they strive for excellence across all sectors, Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, told the Global Times on Sunday, pointing to a slew of successful young professionals in various fields.

This year, DeepSeek's artificial intelligence model and the robots of Unitree Technology have attracted widespread attention, and the teams behind these emerging tech companies are composed of young Chinese professionals, whose achievements highlight the strength of Chinese modernization, Xiong said. 

China's youths are striving to excel in fields such as science and technology, art and sports, the expert said, adding that young talent in these areas is critical for the nation to achieve sustained development.