Statistics from China {{U}}(1) {{/U}} be mind boggling: 1.2 billion {{U}}(2) {{/U}} , 1.73 trillion cigarettes smoked in a year, 7,000 different {{U}}(3) {{/U}} of woody plants. But amid all of these staggering sums, one factoid stands {{U}}(4) {{/U}} for both its audacious size and for what it says about China's future: there are 630 million Chinese under the age of 24. That's a lot of {{U}}(5) {{/U}} energy to burn. Materialism may be the {{U}}(6) {{/U}} preoccupation among China's young people these days, but just beneath the surface lies a feeling {{U}}(7) {{/U}} wounded nationalist pride and an ever-deepening spiritual hunger. It isn't clear where China's young people are headed. But this is a generation that, by its {{U}}(8) {{/U}} size and certain talents, will {{U}}(9) {{/U}} the world's destiny.
Here's another sobering statistic: this is Terry McCarthy's 22nd, and final, cover {{U}}(10) {{/U}} for TIME Asia-he's leaving the region {{U}}(11) {{/U}} three years to become TIME's Los Angeles {{U}}(12) {{/U}} chief. McCarthy, who has indefatigably crisscrossed Asia out of his twin bases of Hong Kong and Shanghai, was the main driver {{U}}(13) {{/U}} this week's superb special report on young China. He developed the story list, guided much {{U}}(14) {{/U}} the reporting
and wrote some of the articles. All {{U}}(15) {{/U}} planning a swank black-tie masked ball last weekend in Shanghai. "I was {{U}}(16) {{/U}} by the willingness of individual Chinese to write for us or talk about their {{U}}(17) {{/U}} ," McCarthy says about the special {{U}}(18) {{/U}} . "These are the guys {{U}}(19) {{/U}} are going to be running the country in 20 {{U}}(20) {{/U}} ." If we're lucky, McCarthy will be back in the region long before then.