1. Introduction
China’s strategy of ‘nationwide entrepreneurship and innovation’ has encouraged many university students to engage in courses focusing on starting their own businesses. Youth Entrepreneurship has been continuously identified as a major factor in reviving a nation’s economy, as young people have the potential to contribute to employment, community growth, and economic development [1,2]. Most young people start their businesses with the aim of pursuing a better life, and the ideas behind these businesses are mainly derived from their own observations of society [3]; however, due to insufficient guidance in terms of values, some students may lack a sense of social responsibility. Therefore, in 2017, the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) mobilized domestic universities to carry out the Youth Red Dream Building Journey (YRDBJ); this program provides entrepreneurial practices and events education under the guidance of the red boat spirit (RBS), thus encouraging students to learn more about this country and its people. Moreover, this provides students with more knowledge and skills to develop socially responsible values when practicing social entrepreneurship (SE). As a result of these efforts, YRDBJ has successfully involved all university students across China in ideological and political education (IPE), featuring both patriotic and humanitarian elements.
Social enterprises with a high and steady growth rate could effectively ameliorate social problems [4]. Currently, university educators and sociology scholars have begun to pay great attention to all matters related to this subject; for instance, Social entrepreneurship Education (SEE) [5], SE competition [6,7,8], the development of the ecosystem of youth entrepreneurship [9,10], fostering SE capabilities [11], financing enterprises with capital [12], and training social entrepreneurs [13]. Challenges arising from university students taking part in SE were also notied and discussed [14]; for example, Wu et al. [15] discussed the dark triad’s influence on Chinese university students’ willingness with regard to SE, and they suggested enhancing empathy and social responsibility education at the tertiary level, thus resulting in more attention being paid to societal needs. As a socialist nation, PRC has a long-term national education policy that focuses on fostering students’ moral growth; this has been effectively used to encourage university students to develop their entrepreneurial skills. This has drawn great attention from academics and scholars, and has become central to entrepreneurship education.
The primary objective of YRDBJ is to help the poor. These activities often take place in remote and impoverished rural areas, where the lack of a mature entrepreneurial environment is an obstacle to youth entrepreneurship. For instance, Ataei et al. [16] noted that the lack of correct financing systems, targeted policies, and government support for rural area entrepreneurship are the major factors that prevent people from starting a business in rural areas. Limitations concerning capital, age, understanding of the current situation, different media tools, competitive characteristics, institutional factors, and education all affect the success of entrepreneurship in rural areas [17,18]. By incorporating the three concepts of initiative, effort, and dedication, RBS aims to encourage young entrepreneurs to overcome environmental obstacles and strengthen their willingness to start a business. Integrating YRDBJ with RBS encouraged young people to transition from university education to SE. The Ministry of Education of the PRC invests extensive resources into the YRDBJ every year, and was even promoted internationally; therefore, the research question is as follows: “What is the theoretical background and nature of YRDBJ activities that are based on RBS?”.
As a game-changing move for the education system, YRDBJ guided university students to become involved with poverty alleviation and launch a “battle against poverty”; this was achieved with an e-commerce live-stream, broadcast to 52 counties, to help those bogged down in poverty in China. It attracted a total of 1.32 million students who participated nationwide. About 600,000 students participated in relevant live-streaming e-commerce events, with sales exceeding RMB CNY 430 million yuan [19]. Online financial match-making activities were held in the seven provinces (or autonomous regions) where the 52 poverty-stricken counties are located, thus enabling students across the country to carry out targeted poverty alleviation activities with entrepreneurial practices. Furthermore, 2021 was a fruitful year for YRDBJ entrepreneurial practices and activities. A total of 400,000 innovation and entrepreneurship teams from 2586 colleges and universities were connected to 1.05 million peasant households and over 21,000 enterprises, with more than 30,000 cooperation agreements being signed; this yielded many improved economic and social benefits.
Despite the outstanding yields, some university students still have not formed a thorough understanding of the implications and significance of YRDBJ entrepreneurial activities. Moreover, there are many problems with the program, such as the poor implementation and weak development potential of projects, which limited the program’s spread and effectiveness; therefore, the main purpose of this study is to explore the logical relationship between education on the history of the revolution (also known as “red education” in China), IPE, and SEE, each of which are involved in YRDBJ activities. This paper applied the document analysis approach, and we discovered that RBS underpinned YRDBJ. We hope that these findings encourage more research on SEE that could lead to its further development.
2. Literature Review
More arrangements were made to conduct SE competitions, encouraging university students to increase their knowledge and develop skills in seeking an ideal solution to social problems [7]. The implementation of YRDBJ entrepreneurial activities has recently attracted more attention. However, few studies on this topic have been published internationally. A summary of relevant studies in China and the West is as follows.
2.1. SEE
Scholars studied how outside factors such as state policy and entrepreneurship education affected SEE based on China’s political context and Chinese society. Based on a large-scale investigation of entrepreneurs’ willingness for social duties and services, Liu et al. [20] found that Chinese entrepreneurs with a high social status are willing to take on social responsibilities. Xiang et al. [11] showed that SEE positively affected social entrepreneurs’ business competence. Guan et al. [21] proposed that the government is obligated to support the new generation of entrepreneurs by providing innovative opportunities, for example, social resources and opportunities for knowledge development. Scholars also analyzed how the factors of individual personality, social standards, morals, and norms play an important role in fostering social entrepreneurs. For example, with solid empirical evidence derived from 230 Chinese enterprisers, Xiao et al. [22] demonstrated that social entrepreneurs often developed a business through their personality. Yiu et al. [23], using the theory of moral sentiments, analyzed social entrepreneurs’ motives.
2.2. SEE with IPE
An increasing number of Chinese scholars now pay attention to the integration of SEE and IPE. Hu and Hu [24] analyzed the necessity, feasibility and inevitability of integration against the historical background of present society and the new characteristics, requirements and missions for IPE. Zhao and Zhang [25] discussed the symbiotic and co-promotional relationship between the two streams of education, and revealed their interconnection. They believed that the two are similar in terms of educational goals, and are thus highly unified in content and related in terms of their educational mode. Lin [26] expounded the important role that SEE plays in IPE. He proposed that SEE is conducive to the coordinated development of different IPE values, with enriched content and creative methods. Wang [27] proposed a coordinated development mechanism and path for IPE and SEE. Through the literature review, Chinese scholars’ research on the integration of SEE and IPE was shown to be mainly focused on their similarities, as well as the value that SEE holds for IPE. Through the literature review, Chinese scholars’ research on the integration of entrepreneurship education and IPE was shown to be mainly focused on their similarities, as well as the value of entrepreneurship education to IPE. However, a few researchers are examining their respective advantages and mutually beneficial development.
2.3. The Red Education and IPE
The concept of red education is summarized as purposeful, planned and organized events guided by the Communist Party of China, leading people of all ethnic groups in the practice of revolution and construction, which can inspire and motivate the recipients of this education [28]. Liang [29] discussed the role of red education in IPE. They believed that red education is conducive to enhancing the effectiveness of IPE for university students, cultivating patriotism, promoting diligence, and guiding students’ values regarding life and the world. Tan [30] and Liu [31] put forward methods for red education that could be integrated into IPE from the perspectives of “red resources”, social practice, educational methods, and “red culture”. In general, despite the multiple papers that have been published on red education, there is still a lack of systematic and comprehensive studies that are both theoretically and practically valuable.
2.4. RBS and SEE
RBS refers to creation and innovation, endeavoring, and devotion [32]. Containing rich innovative ideas and scientific theories, RBS plays an important and leading role in the cultivation of university students’ values [33]. However, even in the Chinese SEE and research circles, there is a relative lack of research on the correlation between RBS and SEE. Only a handful of scholars have shed light on this topic. Yang [34] elaborated on the theoretical logic and strategy of RBS’s integration into SEE. Rao [35] discussed the necessity and implementation path for integrating ‘red culture’ into SEE. Wang [27] analyzed the integration of ‘red resources’ and entrepreneurship education. He believed that the two share values in terms of their inherent convergence and symbiosis, the practicality and interaction of integration, and their compliance with the regulation of innovation and entrepreneurship. However, few researchers have revealed the inner relationship and logic between red education and entrepreneurship education.
2.5. IPE and SEE in Western Countries
The system for SEE in western countries is relatively complete; hence, there are multiple mature related research results. However, fewer studies combine IPE with SEE. In some studies, elements of IPE were considered in research on SEE, such as psychological education, the cultivation of personal qualities, cultivation of skepticism and criticism, and career planning guidance. For example, Mars [36] emphasized that university student entrepreneurs should serve social justice. Jahdi [37] believed that research on marketing ethics should be incorporated into SEE for university students. However, red education in China is prominently characterized by its revolutionary tradition, patriotism and collectivism. It is deeply rooted in the context of China’s national condition, which is also a reason why it is rarely studied in Western countries.
In the western world, studies on SEE normally focused on curriculum design, social value, and good intentions regarding SE. Smith et al. [38] pointed out that an SEE curriculum should lead students to better understand the concept of SE and its position in the business world. Students must learn that the main purpose of running a social enterprise is to create social value [4] and understand that the support for a social enterprise can be sourced from various places, including charity trusts, government subsidies, private donations, and business profits [9]. Pache and Chowdhury [5] proposed that, in their perception of SEE, students must recognize the internal logic of social welfare, the mechanisms of running a business and the system of public administration, and students have to develop the ability to synthesize these aspects as a whole, creating an innovative approach to running their social enterprise. García-Morales et al. [39] pointed out that learning and understanding social duties and obligations should be incorporated into the SE curriculum so that students better understand the purpose and motives of social enterprises. However, few western studies on SEE conducted research on the combination of SEE and other educations, such as ideology education, a nation’s political spirit education, and the education provided by a country’s state.
Reviewing the existing studies, it can be found that: (1) There is sufficient in-depth research on entrepreneurship education, while there is a lack of research on its integration with IPE and red education, and there is almost no research on the internal relationship and mechanisms of the three; (2) There is woefully inadequate research on YRDBJ entrepreneurial practices and activities that support the extensive implementation of the YRDBJ initiative, as required by the Ministry of Education of the PRC. In this context, this paper conducts an in-depth exploration of the elements of IPE in YRDBJ’s entrepreneurial practices and activities, and strives to develop innovative models and methods of IPE that meet the present requirements.
3. Methodology
YRDBJ was carried out through the university student entrepreneurship program, aiming specifically to meet the needs of social and economical development in rural areas by conducting targeted poverty alleviation. These areas are normally the places in which the Chinese Communism Party was increasing after the most recent war. Based on an analysis of the documents, this study referred to the process by Deng et al. [40], and identified and categorized the relevant literature, resulting in new findings. The structure of the study is shown in Figure 1.
Primarily, based on China’s educational reform, we combined the nation’s IPE and SEE and clarified the social context and major questions of this study. The first step was to clarify the features of China’s IPE and the challenges it faces in the new era; the second step was to define and understand how China’s SEE should be part of the strategy of achieving common prosperity. We recognize the natural bond between IPE, RBS, and SEE, but also see the questions regarding the integrity and interactions between the three aspects. In the following steps, we considered that the YRDBJ program, initiated by the Ministry of Education of the PRC, should be the main means of coordination between the three aspects, with a high level of adhesion. To discover the mechanism that leads to the worthiness of YRDBJ activities, we applied the theory of Marxism, Xi Jinping’s Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era and relevant theoretical documents on SE. Using the approach of document analysis and the internal logics between IPE, RBS, and SEE, and demonstrating the plausibility of this combination, we proposed a new YRDBJ model that combines the three forms of education. We then made a strong argument supporting the reasonability of this combination, proposed integrating YRDBJ into IPE, and encouraged as many as China’s tertiary institutes to carry out SEE. Finally, we present the study conclusion.
4. The Conceptual Model of YRDBJ
This section is a comprehensive and systematic explanation of the theoretical basis of IPE and YRDBJ entrepreneurial activities, which mainly include the following.
4.1. The Theoretical Basis of IPE
Through continuous exploration and research, the founders of communism, represented by Marx and Engels, established the scientific concept of the development of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, which laid a solid foundation for the theory of IPE of the Communist Party. Zedong Mao, Xiaoping Deng, Zemin Jiang, Jintao Hu, and Jinping Xi, the core of the five generations of the leadership of the Communist Party of China, drew on the practical experience of ancient and modern China as well as foreign countries, creatively developed the content of Marxist IPE, and explored a path for the development of a characteristically Chinese IPE. However, with the profound changes in the current world, as well as national and Party conditions, the IPE for university students faces new challenges. To adapt to the current times and promote the sound development of society, the comprehensive development of IPE for students has become particularly important.
4.2. The Formation of YRDBJ
YRDBJ entrepreneurial activities are guided by the spirit of Jinping Xi’s important reply to university students, and comprise an educational discourse of national leaders who care about and guide the growth of youths. They highlight Xi’s ideological elements of current Chinese-style socialism, featuring both theoretical profundity and ideological height. YRDBJ activities are also guided by “RBS”, including red education, IPE, innovation and SEE, and involving a wide range of theories such as psychology, sociology and management.
4.3. The Elements of IPE in YRDBJ
Based on the aforementioned theoretical basis, this section summarizes the elements of IPE in YRDBJ entrepreneurial activities as follows: (1) Consistent goals: YRDBJ aims to cultivate aspiring, resourceful, responsible and enthusiastic young people who are needed for the cause of Chinese socialism. This concept is highly consistent with the current goal of IPE for university students; (2) Compatibility of content: the educational philosophies contained in YRDBJ activities are basically in line with the content of IPE in Chinese universities, such as quality ideological education (worldview, outlook on life, values, collectivism, etc.), political education (patriotism, national conditions, communism, etc.), moral education (consciousness of responsibility, cooperation, professional ethics, etc.), legal and disciplinary education (honesty and trustworthiness, law-based business operation, etc.), and psychological health education (anti-frustration and anti-pressure ability, innovation, etc.).
Based on this, this paper proposes the YRDBJ conceptual model (Figure 2). The in-depth integration of red education, SEE and IPE, and YRDBJ activities has become essential to the education of contemporary Chinese youth. This has become a “golden curriculum” in China that integrates courses on party history, national conditions, SE, rural revitalization and the “Chinese Red Dream” [41]. YRDBJ originates from red education, which serves as a powerhouse for the cause of the national rejuvenation. Under the guidance of YRDBJ, students will inherit a revolutionary spirit and take root in the land of China to dedicate their beliefs and aspirations to the people. This is the starting point for the educational philosophy of YRDBJ activities. Secondly, relying on SEE, YRDBJ mobilizes youths to closely follow the national initiatives of innovation-driven development and rural revitalization, and use their professional knowledge, as well as innovative and entrepreneurial efforts, to activate the endogenous power of rural development. This practice is important to the SE values and missions. Lastly, YRDBJ activities require IPE. This guides students to weld their personal ideals with the future of the Party and the country. With rich elements of IPE, YRDBJ provides students with a vivid education in this regard.
As shown in the conceptual model, YRDBJ is nested at the intersection of red education, SEE, and IPE. As a crystallization of the three, YRDBJ is interwoven and inseparable from them. It also serves as a logical mechanism behind the formation of YRDBJ activities, which may be the reason that YRDBJ has become widely influential in China in such a short period of time, as well as providing a potential foundation for its sustainable development in the future.
5. The Present State of YRDBJ
5.1. The Focus of YRDBJ
The YRDBJ program is one of the events of China International College Students’ “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. The Ministry of Education of the PRC initiated and organized the event, through which university student enterprises are devoted to meeting the needs of economic development in rural areas using the expertise that they learnt at university. Their knowledge aims to improve the rural economy and achieve common prosperity. The YRDBJ program started in April 2017 and the Cup commenced at the national scale in 2018; it has since taken place each following year, with different themes (Table 1). Since 2017, YRDBJ activities have focused on helping the poor, rural revitalization, and green entrepreneurship to benefit the countryside. Building a society of overall prosperity is the ultimate goal for the future. How to achieve common prosperity and reduce the gap between urban and rural areas in terms of employment, education, industry development, and resources will be the main focuses of this growth.
5.2. The Achievements of YRDBJ
The achievements of the YRDBJ program not only pertained to the economy but also social value and education development. The following narratives present the major yields of the program in the last five years.
5.2.1. The Achievements in Economy
Through the YRDBJ program, university-based intelligence, technology, and culture have specifically been delivered to the areas that demand these resources. Wu [43] demonstrated that high-quality technological and cultural resources were used to serve the rural economy and society, which allowed for rural areas to catch up with new notions and move forwards with trends, similarly to developed areas. More than 8 million university students took part in the YRDBJ program to start their enterprise in rural areas and 1,770,000 enterprises have found rural partners to date, three million in total. Over 70,000 business collaboration deals proved these economic achievements, as well as the reciprocal partnerships that were formed [44]. Several cases exemplify these accomplishments. The School of Agriculture in Shanghai Jiaotong University, using the new variety of table grape that the research group bred, found business partners in rural areas; profits reached 3 billion CNY and more then 3000 farmers were trained as agricultural professionals. With the New Bio-Silicon Fertilizer program, Chongqing University helped local farmers harvest more than a 10% increase in yield [45]. The Booming the Silo program set up a long-term business cooperation with 23 rural organizations and reached more than 5 billion CNY by selling high-quality agricultural products in the last five years [46].
5.2.2. The Development of the Drive to Fulfil Social Duties
Through the YRDBJ program, China’s university students were mentored to increase their perceptions and affections regarding rural areas by learning RBS and engaging in poverty alleviation. The students were encouraged to make contributions to the country and their fellow people, instead of focusing on feathering their own nest. This helped them to further deepen their affection for the country and develop their sense of social duty and obligation. The YRDBJ program fosters a sense of social duty and obligation, i.e., willingness to take action. The program of YRDBJ bears messages of social obligation and passes these to the students through the activities they perform, making it a major vehicle to istill this sense of duty in the youth in China [47].
5.2.3. The Enhancement of SE Competencies
Taking part in entrepreneurship activities can strengthen individual career competencies, such as creating a great vision, recognizing an opportunity, and cooperating with others as a team. All these help an individual to become a productive part of society and make effective contributions [48]. University students’ participation in SE activities not only enhances their capacities and broadens their knowledge, but also fortifies their career competencies in the job market, particularly in running social enterprises. The YRDBJ program prioritized the connection between a student’s individual value and their social value, leading young people to align themselves more closely with society and be ready to start a business at the SE scale. In addition, YRDBJ created opportunities for students to enter rural areas, providing young people with an improved comprehension of SE, increasing their sense of empathy regarding the poor and bettering their understanding of this gap and the different values that may be held. Finally, YRDBJ provided an accessible path to allow for students to practice and test their skills. Through this program, students were encouraged to take the initiative in exploring the business world, creating new ideas and developing SE capacities.
5.3. The Limits Relating with the Program
5.3.1. The Limits of Understanding about the Program
Questions and limits always appear, even though YRDBJ achieved its goals, as many expected. The aim of YRDBJ is to lead university students to take part in SE. However, the concept of SE is not yet fully understood by many students, as well as educators, and many have an unclear perception of the definition of SE. Some people mistake SE activities as simple business activities, and some believe it is equivalent to a normal community service. This has limited further SE actions and these recognition biases imply a lack of SEE at universities. Wu et al. [49] revealed this problem through a sustainability curricula analysis, and the finding denoted that only 15% of the surveyed university courses mentioned social duty, ethic, education, culture, and history in China. This reveals a certain gap between China and western countries.
5.3.2. The Limits of Implementing Entrepreneurship Business Plans
Noticeably, abundant business proposals were abandoned and many of the collaboration agreements only looked good on paper, despite the high number of entrepreneurship businesses created through the YRDBJ program. Some business plans created through YRDBJ lacked a comprehensive consideration of the conditions needed to run a businesses, such as difficulties due to geographic inconveniences. Such difficulties were also seen by other regions’ entrepreneurship businesses for similar circumstances, such as a poor infrastructure, lack of financial resources, and weak market demands [50]. Moreover, the emphases of SE businesses pertain to social duties and social values [51], and SE enterprises often expect more support from outside the business, such as government policies and subsidies [52]. These factors usually hinder their ability to put business proposals into practice.
5.3.3. The Limits of Running Sustainable Entrepreneurship Businesses
Some students mixed up SE and social practice due to a lack of knowledge about SE and YRDBJ. The latter is a type of voluntary service to a large community [53], which is not related to business purposes. SE is a business activity, despite being different from normal businesses; an inevitable challenge faced by social enterprises appears in the weighing of business purposes and social duties [54]. This has led to a great deal of requirements for university students, including having innovation ideas, the ability to recognize an opportunity, attitudes focused on challenge and creation, and willingness to learn different business models and to work on their own initiative. A business starter will hardly make progress without the above qualities.
5.3.4. Immature Support System from University
YRDBJ has not been incorporated into innovative entrepreneurship education in college and university, which creates a gap between students’ business projects and the practice of rural-area revitalization. Second, education, research, and resources in colleges and universities do not target applications in rural areas, which significantly affects the outcome. Lastly, the SE activities planned by college students have not been put into practice. If universities, communities, and the government can provide young people with the support needed to overcome these obstacles, their chances of success will improve.
5.3.5. Deficiencies in the Implementation of YDBJ
Although the program demonstrated good results in many cases, deficiencies at multiple levels were not rare in implementation. At the university level, some universities pay great attention to the competition outcomes instead of focusing SEE. YRDBJ was planned to be a long-run program that help students form a good sense of SE, rather than just compete in a game. At the individual student level, students joining the game are often just eager to stand out from the rest, instead of truly being involved with social entrepreneurial businesses. This was not the purpose of YRDBJ. At the educator level, most SEE educators themselves did not have expertise on entrepreneurial activities, so it was challenging for them to combine the program and SE business in reality. At the administration level, some regional government administrative bodies did not effectively carry out the program due to a lack of sufficient money-spinning resources, advanced technologies, and systematic infrastructure, as well as lacking the competence to organize and coordinate the multiple parties involved.
6. Conclusions
This paper presents insights on the emerging characteristics and requirements of IPE at present. The theoretical basis of this paper comprises thoughts on the educational policies of the Communist Party of China, especially Jinping Xi’s thoughts on the Chinese-style socialism being practiced at present. Based on this theoretical framework, this paper set out the IPE models used in YRDBJ entrepreneurial activities. This study improves the theoretical framework of the integration of SEE under the guidance of RBS and IPE. Moreover, this study explored and put forward some new insights into YRBDJ entrepreneurial practices and activities.
This study’s conclusions are as follows: first, engaging in YRDBJ activities allows for college students to apply their professional skills to actual situations in rural areas for construction purposes and to help the poor. Second, RBS is the impetus for young people to advance when facing difficulties. It allows for them to innovate, work hard, and be dedicated to the people. Third, based on RBS, YRDBJ incorporates IPE, red education, and SEE. Students can only grasp its meaning after practice. Finally, schools should integrate YRDBJ with their existing entrepreneurship education or establish SEE to support the students, as colleges play a critical role in shaping the values, attitudes, and behaviors of future generations of enterprise leaders.
6.1. The Differences between YRDBJ and the Western World’s SEE
Entrepreneurship education began in the west in the 1950s, and encouraging students to take part in entrepreneurship competitions was a major part of this education. The EE competitions in the western world’s education system were usually organized by the educational institute, industry, or private trusts. A number of universities worldwide regularly organize SE competitions; for example, Duke University hosts a social business plan impact competition that is an independent competition and Harvard University hosts a social business track in the business plan competition, which is part of the general business plan competition [8].
In China, Tsinghua University kicked off the first Entrepreneurship Competition, which marked the beginning of entrepreneurship competitions in China’s tertiary education. In the following year, the League of the CPC organized a state-level entrepreneurship competition called ‘The Cup of Challenge’ to follow this trend and lead entrepreneurship activities at a national scale. In 2015, the Ministry of Education of the PRC organized the ‘China International College Students’ “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition’ to implement the national education policy regarding entrepreneurship education. The main purposes of this competition were to propel collaborations between education institutes and industry, stimulate the transformation of research results into industrial operation and production, and drive enterprises to play a role in the job market to increase employment and assist the economy. Two years later, a new track for SE through the program YRDBJ was created in the 2017 competition.
The economy policy of a nation that views university students as an intellectual labor force and human capital is a key driver for the nation’s economic growth [55]. China closely ties innovative education to its national needs to allow for the integration of innovative entrepreneurship practices and rural revitalization strategies. Through national, provincial, and school-level systems, college students are mobilized to participate in activities and cooperate with this policy, which can achieve positive results. University can play a major role in SEE, with research schemes and scholarly activities, acting as a catalyst for change in social progress [10]. Finally, with resources from various organizations, including enterprises, private corporations, and non-profit organizations, and through collaboration with the government and colleges, the sustainability of YRDBJ can be improved. Therefore, we can state that China’s SEE, incorporating the YRDBJ program, is unique in comparison with other nations’ SEE, as it includes the Chinese governments’ supervision, the nation’s core ideology, the nation’s education policy, and the support of the authorities.
6.2. Theoretical Value
6.2.1. Enriching the IPE
At present, the development of IPE is faced with many emerging problems, and it is quite necessary for us to continuously explore new educational contents, and thus to update the educational models. Kitanova [56] investigated European young people’s moral values regarding the relationship between individuals and societies, and found that the younger generation was rather indifferent to politics and public administrations. To some extent, Chinese young people showed similarities. Through participating in YRDBJ, students began to pay greater attention to society and a similar result was found in a study by Huster et al. [7]. They pointed out that students will realize their obligations to the society, i.e., help the society, if they obtain an improved understanding of the relationships between individuals and the community. People who are involved in social activities are more likely to develop a positive vision for the nation and the world [8]. This study was developed against this background. It sets its sights on developing the content and method of IPE, and is in line with the development laws and characteristics regarding university students’ physical and mental health, as well as their ideological and moral qualities. However, to date, few studies have explored the combination of IPE and YRDBJ. This not only meets the current needs for innovation in IPE in universities, but also broadens the perspective of theoretical research on IPE.
6.2.2. Enriching the Theoretical System of SEE
Considering both the characteristics of the times and the ideological features of contemporary university students, this paper conducted an in-depth analysis of the elements of IPE and their essential connotations in YRDBJ entrepreneurial activities. The key aims of SE competitions are to improve the education system and propel students to obtain a sense of business competition in SE [6]. Theoretical explorations have also been made of the new SEE models, under the guidance of RBS. This study provides a more complete theoretical guidance and research ideas regarding the interdisciplinary research of IPE and SEE for students. As university educators, we should expand and update our knowledge about entrepreneurship education and SEE, looking at social and economic developments, any newly emerging technologies and thoughts, and cultural events and business models, along with an understanding of political interferences and education policy reforms. In doing so, we would be able to make more contributions to this field [57,58].
6.3. Practical Value
6.3.1. Echoing the Current Need to Promote RBS
University students, as young people, play a leading role in a society, with the qualities of knowledge and intelligence, passion and energy. Tertiary education institutes must foster innovative and entrepreneurial graduates but also cultivate them as citizens with a sense of citizenship and social responsibility [59]. We, as educators, should help them to form positive views about life and the world, and balance the values of personal choice and social needs [60]. YRDBJ entrepreneurial activities echo the spirit of Jinping Xi’s important reply to university students. By clarifying the mechanisms and connections of red education, SEE, and IPE, this study guides youths to inherit a red culture and ideologies, and thus to become an RBS promoter and practitioner.
6.3.2. Meeting the Urgent Need to Build an Innovative Country
The link between SE and social development is beneficial to the nation’s interests [61]. In replying to students in YRDBJ, Jinping Xi emphasized: “To achieve the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, we need professionals with both political integrity and ability to strive for our common goals”. This paper explores the goals and significance of YRDBJ activities and seeks policy directions to carry out innovative and entrepreneurial practices such as targeted poverty alleviation, rural revitalization, and community governance.
6.3.3. Deepening the Reform of IPE
In China, IPE is helping young people to shape their life values and characters, and the role of IPE cannot be ignored in SEE [62]. To implement the fundamental task of “strengthening moral education”, we must imprint our ideals and beliefs on our souls. This study aims to promote the integration of IPE and SEE, and explore and summarize new patterns and paths for IPE in YRDBJ entrepreneurial activities, thus providing a new inspiration and reference points for IPE in universities.
6.3.4. Meeting the Realistic Demand to Promote the Self-Development of University Students
SEE increases in significance over the course of university education, as students enhance their knowledge and skills, strengthen their competence in the job market, increase their capacity to engage with society, etc. [12]. This study reveals the elements and values of IPE in YRDBJ activities. This helps students to establish the concept of SEE and its employment, encouraging them to practice and to achieve all-round development. This is a significant social responsibility, as young people’s recognition and identification increase while studying at university. Opportunities to carry out SE activities would allow for students to observe social issues and perceive their position in the society, and rise to the occasion regarding their own responsibilities [6]. It also provides theoretical guidance and practical reference points for colleges and universities to carry out IPE and cultivate a new generation of youths, who are both socialist-minded and professionally competent.
6.4. Research Limitations and Future Research
This study only focused on China, but it could be extended to cover other communist countries in the future. As the incorporation of RBS into SEE is unique to China, conducting a comparison with other countries’ entrepreneurial education should be a meaningful research aim. Moreover, since YRDBJ entrepreneurial activities include social and non-profit organization entrepreneurship, future studies can also be implemented from the interdisciplinary perspective of psychology, sociology, and management. Last but not least, YRBDJ was transformed into an international event in 2021, attracting foreign students to join, which represents a new possibility for analysis from the perspective of those new players.
Conceptualization, C.-H.Y. and D.W.; methodology, H.-H.S.; writing—original draft preparation, C.-H.Y.; writing—review and editing, D.W.; funding acquisition, C.-H.Y. and D.W. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Data are available upon special request from the corresponding author.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Footnotes
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The themes of YRDBJ.
| Year | Theme | The Joiner Projects of SE (1000) | The Joiner Students (1000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Engaging in poverty alleviation with innovative approaches to serve rural areas. | 100 | 700 |
| 2019 | Engaging in community management and targeted poverty alleviation and boosting rural areas in a down-to-earth way. | 238 | 1000 |
| 2020 | Focusing on poverty eradication with willingness and brave attempts to engage with rural areas and suburban communities. | 242 | 1320 |
| 2021 | Combining RBS, SEE, and Disciplinary Education (DE) to lead educators and students to enter SE and improve rural areas. | 400 | 1810 |
| 2022 | Combining IPE, DE, and SEE to inherit RBS, leading educators and students to take action regarding innovation, starting a business in modern agriculture using new technology, new medical science, and new humanities and social sciences, in a down-to-earth way. | 790 | 3300 |
Source: The authors categorized the data on the website of the Ministry of Education of the PRC [
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Details
; Wang, Dajiang 2
; Hsiang-Hua Su 3 1 School of Economics and Commerce, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Zhongshan Institute, Zhongshan 528400, China
2 College of Entrepreneurship, Wenzhou University of Technology, Wenzhou 325035, China
3 Department of Tourism Affairs, Tzu Hui Institute of Technology, Nanzhou Township 92641, Taiwan