Quotes of the Day

Let's do the math. Asia has more people than any other continent. And with 70% of its population under the age of 40, Asians as a group are the youngest people on the planet. If you were to search anywhere for young heroes, you couldn't find a better-stocked pond.

In our third annual special on Asia's heroes, TIME shines the spotlight on 20 individuals who have done something brave, bold or remarkable—before they've reached the age of 40. A couple of decades ago this would have been an impossible mission. The continent was led by graybeards, and the reigning values were discipline and consensus—in other words, don't jump the queue, and don't rock the boat. Not anymore. In supposedly socialist China and India, everybody wants their own wheels, apartments, flat-screen TVs—now. In Hong Kong, once derided as no more than a shopper's paradise, political idealism—and activism—have come into vogue. In Japan and South Korea, company employees don't want to be chained to the desk all day (although many don't mind slacking off on the Internet all night). These are all qualities of youth; the dynamism so expected of Asia is now inextricably linked with the young.

Who are the heroes of this generation? The athlete who achieves some extraordinary sporting feat, or the celebrity who gives a stellar performance before a camera or on stage. The businessman who channels his fortune into learn-to-read programs for the illiterate and underprivileged. The rebel who tries to change what's cruel and ignorant about society. The civil servant who's just trying to do his job, even in the face of danger.

As a permanent resident of the sparser region north of our age barrier, I find the notion of heroism under 40 a bit humbling. And I'm reminded of another old man, Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, who famously insisted that "Youth is wasted on the young." Not in 21st century Asia.

• Anthony Spaeth
• TIME presents twenty members of a new generation taking the stage in Asia