For Young Chinese, Home is Where the Covid Isn’t
Too busy to check in on the RADII website every day? We got you every Monday with a summary of all the freshest takes on China’s youth culture in the last week:
- It’s an interesting time to be a Chinese international student. Here’s how three of them are making lemonade out of lemons during these confusing times.
- Does your job suck, and are you about to get fired? Fear not, Shang-Chi superhero Simu Liu was on the same boat not long ago.
- Know an alpha girl? This is the word for her (or you).
Intrigued? Keep scrolling, my friend.
3 Chinese International Students on Rediscovering China During Covid
For more than 890,000 Chinese international students overseas, the past year and a half has involved struggle and confusion. In the wake of Covid-19, they’ve confronted xenophobia and racism abroad, competed for flight tickets to return to China, and took ultra-expensive online classes.
Beyond all the inconveniences, worries, and anxieties, however, it was also a time for reflection, connection, and discovery for many people, especially those who chose to come home.
Meet Ashley Yang, Kevin Wu and Han Yi, three young overseas students who returned to China during the ongoing pandemic.
These returnees have embraced the new normal with resilience and have made this unexpected disruption into a time to pursue passions, advance their careers and reconnect with their homeland.
So, what have they been up to since returning to China?
A cinematic four-part series from Hubei’s very own Hualan, a Shanghai creative’s cathartic, genre-bending mixtape, Eastern Margins’ first compilation since launching their own record label, and more:
Check out a new episode of SoundCheck, our podcast featuring Wes Chen, host of hip hop podcast thePark, and Bryan Grogan, former culture editor at RADII, as we talk about some of our favorite releases of the month.
Social distancing sucks, doesn’t it?
Shanghai-based DJ, producer, and singer-songwriter Gigi Lee is among those impacted by Covid-induced travel restrictions and disease-prevention measures. So, she immortalized the experience in a dark, sexually charged new electronic track:
“Isolation” is Lee’s first song to drop on Warner Asia’s new dance music imprint Whet Records and resulted from a stint in mandatory quarantine after returning to Shanghai from Malaysia in 2020.
- Simu Liu is about to make history as the first Asian actor to lead a film for Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Here’s how he went from failing miserably as an accountant to reaching Hollywood stardom.
- In the new 12-minute 44-second gameplay trailer, gamers got their first look at the highly-anticipated video game that was inspired by the Chinese classic Journey to the West and its character, Sun Wukong.
- The show Call Me by Fire, the all-male follow-up to Sisters Who Make Waves, is all everyone’s been talking about on the Chinese internet.
- Remember the shoes that went viral after its massive flood-relief donation? Well, it looks like their sales have been plummeting on its live-streaming channel.
- Yikes. Social media platforms have temporarily suspended the accounts of Word of Honor star Zhang Zhehan after photos of him visiting a controversial Japanese shrine in 2018 resurfaced.
The sound of the cool wind blowing through your uninspired life — 飒 (Sà) is how you denote that something is swaggy (super cool):
Often seen in the phrase “又A又飒” (yòu A yòu sà), which has become the latest way to praise the style of a strong and confident woman. You can read more about it here.
You may know China for its Peking duck and dim sum, but do you know about Yunnan cheese?
“Rubing” (乳饼) is a cheese made from goat milk, produced primarily by the Bai ethnic minority of Dali and Sani.Ingredients such as rose are a local specialty and added to cheese dishes.
Our staff writer Siyuan is definitely a fan:
Are you a gifted meme maker? Or a storyteller crazy about Chinese youth culture? Take a look below, because we’re currently hiring for the following positions:
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