UPON arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport, Xue Duoxiao, 17, switched on his cell phone. He browsed the news on microblogs, and sneaked into friends` QQ farms and stole some "ripe" vegetables, before searching online for directions to China Agricultural University.

 

　　一到首都机场，17岁的薛铎晓（音译）就马上打开手机浏览微博、潜入好友的QQ农场偷菜。然后才上网查找去中国农业大学的路线。

 

　　Xue is one of the 6.57 million Chinese freshmen who will begin college life this year. Dubbed the Class of 2014, they are the first batch of freshmen in the new decade of 2010. Xue and his peers, both those living in China and abroad, have caused quite a stir as the media and sociologists rush to define them.

 

　　今年，中国大一新生人数达657万，薛铎晓就是其中一员。2014届新生是2010－2020这新十年中的首批新生。因此，薛铎晓和国内外的同龄人们早已引发一股新的热潮--媒体和社会学家们都赶着为这一代人定义。

 

　　Beloit College in Wisconsin, US, compiled a list of cultural touchstones to define the incoming freshmen, describing them as "having digital in their DNA". Forbes magazine recently also ran a story about Western media`s inaccurate portrayal of China`s youth.

 

　　位于美国威斯康星州的伯洛伊特学院专门为这批新生编辑了文化标准，称他们的“DNA中就含有数字（技术）”。不久前，《福布斯》杂志还撰文报道了西方媒体对中国年轻人的错误描述。

 

　　Similar to the situation in the US, the digital era has also left a significant mark on China`s Class of 2014 - Xue`s immediate use of digital technology on arrival in Beijing is a case in point.

 

　　无异于美国，数字时代同样对中国的2014届新生产生了深远影响--薛铎晓刚到北京就开手机就是个不错的例子。

 

　　Digital has always been with this generation. They were born into the age of the cellphone. In primary school, they made friends online through QQ. They defended their idols and lifestyles in online forums. But they don`t see themselves as "rebels". They are happy, well-adjusted young adults who are ready to surpass the achievements of previous generations.

 

　　数码产品在这代人的生活中无处不在。他们出生在手机时代，从小学就开始通过QQ在线交友，在论坛上维护自己的偶像和生活方式。但是，他们并不认为自己叛逆。他们是快乐的年轻人，能够很好地适应新环境并准备好超越前辈。

 

　　Identity parade

 

　　标榜身份

 

　　"Growing up with easy access to information, they tend to form their own judgments, independent from the influence of their elders," said Sun Yunxiao, deputy director of the China Youth and Children Research Center. In Sun`s eyes, they are "a naughty generation".

 

　　“在这样一个信息化时代长大，他们很容易形成自己的辨别力，不受长辈们的影响。”中国青少年研究中心副主任孙云晓说。在孙云晓看来，他们是“顽皮的一代”。

 

　　But in the eyes of the freshmen themselves, they are no different from the young adults of previous generations. They are simply seeking recognition, both from their parents and from wider society.

 

　　但在新生们自己看来，他们与前几代年轻人没有什么差别。他们只是想获得家长和社会大众的认可罢了。

 

　　"My parents place many restrictions on me. I can`t choose my own hairstyle or clothes. I can`t choose which major to take. I can`t even choose my own brand of toothpaste," complained He Changping, 17, a freshman at Shenzhen University.

 

　　“家长管得太严了。我不能决定自己的发型和服装，不能选择自己喜欢的专业，甚至不能选择用什么牌子的牙膏，”深圳大学17岁的大一新生何长平抱怨说。

 

　　He is understandably excited about college life. "Being a college student and an adult might give me a greater sense of "authority". Hopefully I will be in a better position to express my opinions."

 

　　崭新的大学生活让他格外兴奋。“考上大学，长大成人让我有种强烈的'权威'感。希望我能更好地表达自己的观点。”

 

　　In order to identify the Class of 2014, the media has been buzzing about this year`s "star" freshmen.

 

　　为了给2014届大学生下定义，媒体纷纷报道今年新生中的“明星”。

 

　　Li Kan, the 18-year-old son of Taiwanese writer Li Ao, has enrolled at Peking University. His book about Taiwan`s textbooks has gained him fame among his peers. Also, mainland starlet Zhang Yishan, 18, is going to Beijing Film Academy this autumn.

 

　　台湾作家李敖的儿子李戡（18岁）是北京大学的新生。他曾出书痛批台湾教科书，并因此在同龄人中获得不小名气。此外，大陆小明星张一山（18岁）也在今秋进入北京电影学院就读。

 

　　No representative

 

　　不需要代表

 

　　But it is not attractive to the Class of 2014 "if one leader were to rise up and call for everyone`s support", wrote Kevin Lee at Forbes, because Chinese youth "are experiencing an evolving sense of individuality and identity".

 

　　但是，《福布斯》的Kevin Lee认为，对2014届学生来说，“出现个领导，呼吁大家支持”这种事情一点儿也不引人注目。因为中国的年轻人“正在经历一场个性和身份的转变”。

 

　　Freshman Xue Duoxiao agrees. He believes this generation are confident in themselves and don`t need a leader to speak on their behalf.

 

　　对此，新生薛铎晓十分同意。他相信这代人很自信，不需要有领导来代表他们说话。

 

　　"In recent years, the post-80s generation has achieved a lot and received great praise for their performance during the Beijing Olympics and their efforts to help the Wenchuan earthquake relief work," said Xue.

 

　　“近年来，80后群体已经大有成就，并因在北京奥运会和汶川地震救灾工作中的杰出表现大获称赞。”薛铎晓说。

 

　　"But we can do better than them. This is our time."

 

　　“但我们能比他们做得更好。这是我们的时代。”