( CNN ) -- Yang Lan got her start in an audition two decades ago when she beat out 1,000 other young college women for a spot on television . Today she is a TV star and media entrepreneur in China who says her shows have been watched by more than 200 million people per week . An ambassador for the 2008 Beijing Olympics , she 's often called China 's Oprah . Yet while Yang Lan is an example of the opportunity available in China , she told the TED Global conference in Edinburgh , Scotland , in July , there are also daunting obstacles to progress for many younger people . Start with the gender disparity : Under China 's one-child policy , `` because of selected abortion by families who favored boys to girls , now we have ended up with 30 million more young men than women . '' TED.com : Understanding the rise of China . China 's population is aging , and young people are expected to support their parents financially . In the cities , college graduates can start their careers earning about $ 400 a month , but the average rent is above $ 500 . Young couples who want to buy an apartment would need 30 to 40 years of earnings to pay for it . A migrant worker force of about 200 million people is caught between the city and the countryside , working long hours at low pay . Income inequality in China , she said , is greater than in the U.S. : `` The bitterness and even resentment towards the rich and the powerful is quite widespread . So any accusations of corruption or backdoor dealings between authorities or business would arouse a social outcry or even unrest . '' TED.com : Hans Rosling on China 's rise -- how and when . A good way to gauge the feelings of Chinese youth is to read what they say on microblogs , which she described as the Chinese version of Twitter . `` And because , as you know , the traditional media is still heavily controlled by the government , social media offers an opening to let the steam out a little bit . But because you do n't have many other openings , the heat coming out of this opening is sometimes very strong , active and even violent . '' Environmental issues animate the conversation on microblogs . Polluted air and water and poisoned food are among the issues . `` All these things have aroused a huge outcry from the Internet . And fortunately , we have seen the government responding more timely and also more frequently to the public concerns . '' Still , with all the challenges , she said young Chinese adults are well educated and are coming up with creative solutions . Among them , a `` naked wedding '' which does n't involve nudity but does forgo a ring , a party , a house and a car . Microblogging is enabling people to find missing children and to rescue animals . And Yang Lan is upbeat : China 's younger generation is `` going to transform this country while at the same time being transformed themselves . ''
Yang Lan is a television star and media entrepreneur in China . Her career got started when she competed in audition with a thousand other college women . She says today 's young generation in China faces economic , social obstacles . She says China 's youth will transform the country and be transformed themselves .