Results tagged “youth”

So much has been written about the contemporary Beijing music scene, but don't misunderstand us: we're talking purely about volume, not about quality content. Unless you've spent time in Beijing delving into the depths of an increasingly robust community of young kids in bands or following bands, your concept of the music scene is pretty much restricted to the Carsick Cars (they played with Sonic Youth, you know!).

These days it seems like violence on TV should be the least of a parent's worries - rather the threat is allegedly much greater online. According to Shanghai Daily, Zun Long Ming She, translated as 'Dragon Society', is one of a growing number of online communities that are encouraging or inciting Chinese youths to commit crimes and dole out violence. Formed in June 2008, Dragon Society has recruited 169 members, consisting of “local natives who lacked a caring family and children of migrant workers.” Like any online social networking site, members of Dragon Society were able to share pictures and information, “showing off their tattoos and knives and organizing robberies and attacks” just as a group of Facebook friends would tag each others pics and drum up interest in club parties. The government began cracking down on them after a boy in Luwan District was beaten and stabbed by five other boys, allegedly ordered to do so by one of the site's leaders. Since then, the victim has helped the police to identify members of Dragon Society as well as provide more information on the functions of similar websites. Photo from aranarth@flickr.com

The national university entrance examination: a rite of passage for many Chinese students, and all important, some might say, in determining much of what happens in your life afterwards. It's a lot of pressure for 17 and 18 year-old kids. This video was taken in Hankou, supposedly before the test. One might be more inclined to celebrate afterwards, though of course those that might not have done so well would perhaps seek solace in Johnny Walker, as one does in times of need.

We guess with plastic surgery gaining popularity in the country, lawsuits from aesthetic hopefuls wouldn't be long coming. Now, according to China Daily, a Beijing woman has sued a beauty salon owner because the products she brought didn't make her look younger. Ms. Zheng had spent 200,000RMB on “Sinomos” cosmetic injections, which alleged that they could produce a youthful appearance that would make her look “20 years younger.” When it didn't work, she sued the company for double the price.

    

Source: CRI Talk China

               

Chinese kids are starting early these days. Someone over at the PCPop.com forum with a nephew attending first grade looked through his textbooks one day and was shocked at what sex education for first graders looks like in China these days — funny cartoons, witty dialogues, testicles that talk to one another, and cool-looking Mr Condoms wearing shades. We wish sex education was this fun for us when we were growing up. No, wait a minute, we don't remember getting any form of sex education back then.

"Although senior citizens would be happier if their family visited more often, they are generally satisfied with their lives in the city, a survey by the Shanghai Quality Association revealed on Monday."

Danwei points us to this creatively produced video of a counterstrike battle set in Beijing's mixed-use office and residential complex Jianwai SOHO. No news on whether the anti-terrorism officials are freaking out yet.

From aujourdhuilachine.com:

From France24:

Twenty-five years after China opened up to the west the Chinese are paying a price. Today the country has the fastest-growing obesity rate in the world and one quarter of its urban youth is overweight.

It might not be an Olympic sport yet, but Parkour, the urban pastime that originated in the suburbs of Paris, has arrived in Beijing. The "art of displacement" or "art of moving," Parkour is an activity which involves getting from one point to another as efficiently as possible using only the human body. Students at the Beijing Film Academy have started a 12-strong Parkour club led by 22-year-old student Du Yize. Du says his club has incorporated a distinctly Chinese element into their version of Parkour, combining traditional Chinese kung fu with the trendy sport. "Anyone who wants to learn Parkour in our club needs to learn some basic skills of kung fu first," Du tells Reuters Blogs. Watch this video of a Beijing Parkour clan above, or click here to see photos of Du and his friends practicing their moves.

We already knew that Chinese blogs were some of the main free speech forums in the country, but another form of electronic communication is getting recognized as an opportunity for uncensored commentary: text messaging. A recent NPR piece says texting is popular in China not only because it is relatively inexpensive, but also because it is out of the range of government censorship, at least for now. In a culture that is traditionally emotionally reserved, texting can also be an easier way to express intimate feelings without all the awkwardness of live personal interaction. Whereas courtship-via-text might be frowned upon in Europe or the U.S., it's all part of the dating ritual here in China, from the earliest flirtations to the eventual heartbreak. Alvin Graylin, the CEO of mInfo (which owns Guanxi), a Shanghai-based phone accessory company, explains:

"Chinese are a little more indirect. They don't like to always say what they really mean," says Graylin. "It's easier to sometimes communicate through a short message, a small communication of what you're looking for, than to call somebody and have to explain everything."

When Wong Lei's boyfriend broke up with her, he did it via text message.

Continue reading "From personal commentary to political criticism — the art of the Chinese text message"

From Al-Jazeera:

China is on course to join Japan and the US as a leader in the art of animation.

Continue reading "China the next animation leader?"

Adam Schokora of Danwei outdoes himself with this latest episode of the Shanghai Beat which sees him interviewing three of the city's top graffiti artists: Popil, Zhang Lan (AKA: Mr. Lan), and HKer. Good to know the graffiti scene is alive and well here!

In this latest pod, Patrick Carr from Current TV takes us from Shenzhen to Shanghai and Beijing, and does a commendable job uncovering China's obsession with brands by looking at how affluent Chinese youth today are choosing to express themselves through fashion, nightlife and sports. Features Phil Dorman of Shanghai-based marketing agency Confucius Says.

... here's another video on Current TV by Kristy Wong who finds out that young people here will talk to her about anything and everything under the sun, except when it comes to anything remotely politically-related. To be fair though, what else was she expecting with the way she framed her questions? We wonder what her answers would be if she was being posed those same questions on CCTV.