Part of Beckham's new role will be to encourage China's youth to embrace soccer at a time when the country's government is attempting to grow the sport.

CNN: David Beckham becomes new face of Chinese soccer

China's youth who have grown up during the country's economic boom and are often characterized as apolitical and consumer-obsessed.

CNN: Han Han: China's rebel blogger

As a teenager the 27-year-old began writing novels about angst-ridden characters that proved tremendously popular with China's angsty youth.

CNN: Han Han: China's rebel blogger

Its commercial focus is looking ahead two years to the Winter Games in the Russian city of Sochi and the Youth Olympic Games in China's Nanjing and two years after that to the Rio 2016 Olympics.

BBC: London 2012: How does Dow Chemical gain from Olympics?

China Youth Daily says the country must learn from Japan's earthquake-resistant building designs after almost all the buildings in Baoxing county in Ya'an, including newer earthquake-proof houses, were badly damaged in the quake.

BBC: China media: Quake donations debate

The news of Mr Shi's recognition triggered a heated debate in academic circles, China Youth Daily notes in an article republished by Xinhua news agency.

BBC: China media: Internet rumours

In Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, tens of thousands of young engineers have created a Silicon Valley-like youth culture in the high-tech companies that thrive in China's southern Guangdong province.

ECONOMIST: A survey of the young