In recent years, the ultimate teen craze has been escape rooms! Though their popularity cannot be doubted, they are still shrouded in controversy. So … Are escape rooms really worth it? Are they safe? Too expensive?

You wondered, Beijing teens answered.

Let’s dive right in!

Safety?

While most reputable escape rooms are very safe to play in, there have been news reports of people getting injured at escape rooms. Though safety should not be a big problem, it’s important to understand and follow and safety precautions listed by the worker. For instance, those who are claustrophobic or have cardiovascular diseases should not participate.

“I personally don’t like escape rooms because I’m scared of the safety issues and also in most of the escape rooms there is very little space, so if anyone is claustrophobic then [they]should avoid going to the escape room,” says Kannika Mehrotra from ISB.

“The one I went to was quite expensive, but I think it was pretty worth it because of the quality. I could see where the expense came from because there were costumes and monitors and NPCs and props that had to be replaced after every group,” explains Tina Cui from THIS.

Expensive?

Usually, the cost for playing in an escape room ranges from RMB 100 to more than RMB 300 per person. But it really depends on the place you choose.

“I think it depends from person to person. Personally, I don’t think so that it’s worth paying because you’re literally paying to get scared, but I do understand that a lot of people enjoy such mystery and horror stuff, so for them it might be totally worth it,” says Mehrotra.

Selene Sun from Keystone Academy explains, “Personally I think they’re too expansive. Take the escape room Yin Yang Shi as an example. It’s RMB 500 for two hours per person. So when there’s five to six people, they’ll earn RMB 2,500-3,000 for a single round. That’s way too expensive, although the place is huge and there are many good-quality NPCs.”

Spend Time With Friends?

A large part of an escape room experience is solving puzzles or problems with your friends (for those who aren’t scared to death and at this point crying on the floor). Many enjoy this bonding experience as everyone gets terrified together, laughs together, and just has a good time together.

“It’s a nice place to kill time with friends and it’s also a chill place to hang out during summers,” says Mehrotra.

Cui says, “Every time my friends coerce me to go, I end up regretting it and wanting to leave the entire time. I’m miserable and pretty useless in solving tasks because I’m too scared to think properly. But afterward I usually don’t regret going because I can look back on the experience with humor.”

“You get to practice using your brain and just be happy with friends,” mentions Joyce Zhang from Keystone Academy.

“It’s a fun experience to be with friends and interact with a realistic storyline. It’s also a good place to hang out since often we don’t know where to go out with friends,” says Sun.

Popular escape rooms in Beijing for the daredevils:

1. Mr. X (X 先生密室逃脱)

Find it:
2/F, Shimao Plaza, 13 Gong Ti South Road, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工体北路13号世茂广场F2
Tel: 186 0004 9303
Hours: Open 24 hours. Average Price: RMB 249

2. It’s Young (异次元密室逃脱)

Find it (1):
2/F, Shimao Plaza, 13 Gong Ti South Road, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工体北路13号世茂广场F2
Tel: 8453 8041

Find it (2):
B1/F, Gui You Building, 5A Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国门外大街甲5号贵友大厦B1
Tel: 131 2195 1558
Hours: 10am-10pm. Average price: RMB 97

3. Omescape (奥秘之家)

Find it:
B1/F, Bld. 12, Ban Dao International Compound, 18 Qu Tong East Road, Chaoyang District
朝阳区阜通东大街18号半岛国际公寓12号楼B1层
Tel: 173 4300 5634
Hours: 9.30am-10pm. Average price: RMB 115

Images: Pexels, Dazhong Dianping

Starting to feel the irresistible laziness of summer creeping onto you? Get up from your couch and learn something new with these five free apps!

1. Khan Academy: Lessons for All

From Pre-K to AP courses and beyond, Khan Academy has you covered with more than 8,000 video lessons. Using a combination of videos, visuals, texts, and practice questions, it provides core subjects like math, science, etc as well as standardized test prep like SAT. Most importantly, everything on Khan Academy is 100% free!

2. Learning a New Language? Do it with Duolingo

Have you ever wanted to learn a new language or improve on one, but didn’t know where to start? Duolingo is a fun and almost addictive language learning app, providing bite-sized lessons that include reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Ranging from Spanish to Hawaiian, you get to explore 22 different languages taught in English. Though there is a Duolingo Plus subscription plan, the free version allows you to access almost all the functions too!

“Duolingo is the perfect way for me to study Chinese everyday. I love competing against my friends. I’m currently on a 338 day streak and it feels amazing to know that I’ve stuck with something for so long.” says Mrs. Jaime Weiler (English Teacher at Keystone Academy)

3. edX and Coursera: College Courses at Home

Who wouldn’t want a taste from a top university class? edX and Coursera are similar software that provides courses from top institutions across the world, with topics ranging from “The Science of Happiness” to “Introduction to Biology – The Secret of Life” and even to “Hollywood: History, Industry, Art”. Payment is required if you would like to receive a certificate after taking the final exam, but you can still access each course without any payment by auditing

“The psychology course that is taught by a Yale professor gave me new insights into the topic!” says Cathy Kang (15 years-old student at Keystone Academy)

4. Make Math Magical with AoPS

Math can actually be fun! Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) is an interactive STEM learning software, where the Alcumus game, For The Win! challenge, video library, and community forums are completely free. Alcumus is a progressively harder math problem-solving game with detailed step-by-step solutions and recommended explanation videos!

“The alcumus program is a great choice for any self motivated students to find practices suited for their own skill level.” says Eva Jiang (14 years-old student at Keystone Academy)

5. Can-do Coding with code.org

Imagine being able to create your own app or website! This can be easily achieved by joining code.org and exploring its catalog full of coding challenges. You will learn to build your own app, use JavaScript to design the visuals, and program animations! There are also many recommended third-party courses like web-page programming etc. Again, code.org is fully free!

Images: Sissi Ma, Pexels

Although they’re a bit different this year, the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games are back in full force after having been postponed due to COVID-19. All over the capital, neighbors are cheering and their TVs are blasting, the Games are a hot topic of discussion, and social media feeds are flowing with information. Whether you’re an avowed sports fan or simply someone who wants to know what all the hype is about, here are four ways to get in the Olympic spirit.

#1: Check out some livestreams

A week ago, YouTube was serving up a steady stream of funny cat videos. Now, everything on the recommended page is all about the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The same goes for just about every other social media account. So save yourself the trouble and download the Tencent Sport (腾讯体育 téng xùn tǐ yù) app on your devices (especially your phone) to access the livestreams of the games. With so many sports overlapping one another, make sure you scroll through the schedule to catch the ones you want to see most. You can also check the competitors’ schedules in case there’s a specific athlete you want to see.

If you already have WeChat on your device, then you can skip Tencent. WeChat’s Top Story section also allows you to access The Olympic livestreams, see each country’s status, and the competitor’s line-up.

#2: Get me the stats, stat! 

So, all your friends are raving about how China just won the diving competition, and how we’re dominating table tennis this year. But you have no clue? Don’t worry, Tencent Sport and WeChat also have all the stats, so you can be the first to tell your friends about China’s newest shiny gold medal. The reporting comes through in real time, so as soon as someone earns a medal, the rankings change. For example, if you clicked on WeChat’s Top Story and opened the ranking window, you’ll see that China, Japan, and the US are at the top of the leaderboard, for now.

#3: Discover new, lesser-known sports

Tokyo’s Summer Olympics features a total of 33 sports with 206 participating countries. Popular sports such as archery, aquatics (which includes swimming, diving, water polo, and synchronized swimming), table tennis, basketball (including 3×3 basketball), and volleyball (both indoor and beach-volleyball) are included in the list. However, all of the lesser-known sports like surfing, Judo, kayaking, and cycling can also be found. Last but not least, for the first time in history, the Olympic organizing committee introduced skateboarding as a sport. So get ready to see some of your favorite skateboarders make history!

#4: Check the schedule

The Games opened on Jul 23 and will close on Aug 8. But the actual competitions kicked off two days before the Opening Ceremony with softball in Fukushima – in line with the Games’ theme of recovery. This year’s Olympics features 339 medal events and 42 venues. There are fewer competitions on the opening and closing days, however, the rest of the schedule is jam-packed with different sports that you can tune into.

With these four tips, we hope you enjoy the Tokyo 2020 (2021?) Summer Olympic Games, and are super jazzed about next year’s Winter Olympic Games right here in Beijing. Friendly reminder, there might be some heavy displays of patriotism happening this season, but don’t take anything too seriously. Just cheer very loudly for your home country or any other than you have an affinity for, and be a good sport about it.

KEEP READING: Go Team Go! Olympic Lessons for Children of All Ages

Images: XueFei Liu, Sina Weibo

As Bruno Mars once said, “Today I don’t feel like doing anything.” We all have those lazy days when we do absolutely nothing but stare at our phones, hoping that the black hole of technology will swallow us up and never let go. And yes, using WeChat to pass the time has become overrated. Nevertheless, after some intense digging into the lives of Beijing’s teens, these are the top apps we use to practice procrastination at its finest.

开心消消乐 aka the Chinese Candy Crush

This is a classic elimination game in which players knock out rows of three or more animals of the same color by connecting them in a straight line. There are four templates for the game: score clearance, specified elimination, golden pods, and cloud levels. There are also special tools such as bombs and firecrackers that can eliminate larger groups of animals. With endless levels, weekly and monthly competitions, and special themes for specific holidays (like Christmas and Valentine’s Day), this crazy addictive game is the perfect way to kill time.

Wordscapes

Unlike classic word-based games, Wordscapes is the perfect fit for fans of crossword, word connect, and word anagram challenges. It combines the best of all of them, making it the ideal choice for any logophile. What’s more, there’s also a seemingly endless amount of levels set in gorgeous landscapes and a progress tracker. Competitions kick off at the start of each season, and you can even form a team with your friends and compete with other anagram fanatics around the world!

快看漫画 aka the Chinese Webtoon

With an extensive library of comics to scroll through, KuaiKan is the perfect app for avid readers. It has comics in English, Chinese, Korean, and even Japanese covering a variety of genres including Chinese dynasty comics, idol drama comics, youth comics, and even mythological comics. It’s worth noting that some comics and authors require a KuaiKan membership that runs RMB 15 per month, however, most of the mangas are free. Lastly, the platform has a floating comments feature that allows you to see what your fellow manga addicts are saying about the story. Just watch out for spoilers!

Taobao

Window shopping definitely applies to e-commerce as well, as teens are known to spend a large chunk of their 24 hour day simply scrolling through stores on Taobao. With a variety of retailers, items, and products, Taobao is super user-friendly and is fantastic at recommending products tailored to the items you have in your shopping cart. Whether you’re a video gamer, fashionista, or aspiring visual artist, there’s a world of stores on Taobao to suit your cravings. Even if you don’t end up buying everything in your cart, you’ll manage to snatch up something super-cute and super cheap!

Sudoku

Despite the fact that this is an age-old Japanese logic-based math game, its popularity endures across generations. Sudoku puzzles consist of a grid with nine squares subdivided into a further nine squares, with the numerals 1-9 appearing once in each horizontal line, vertical line, and square. It’s then up to the player to insert numbers one to nine to complete the puzzle. If you’re someone who falls hard for numerical challenges, Sudoku is a must-try. And no, this game is not just for nerds. After a few rounds, you’ll get the hang of it and before you know it, you’ll be playing religiously.

What’s your favorite way to procrastinate? Let us know in the comments!

KEEP READING: I Stopped Using a VPN a Year Ago and I Don’t Miss It 

Images: Pexels, Baidu Baike Images

After the release of gaokao results, the Chinese equivalent of college entrance examinations, quite a few Beijing students have hired consultants to help them decide their future.  The consultants assist students in making the most important decision of their lives: which college to attend. And they charge accordingly.

Consultancy institutes charge from a few thousand RMB to tens of thousands of RMB, with the highest cost being RMB 100,000 (USD 15,190), for their services.

As an example, the Beijing Youth Daily selects Yingding Education, whose website shows their fee differs based on the consultant’s level.  “Professional consultants and experts on college application” cost RMB 4,980 to RMB 19,800 to consult, while the president of the company is an instant RMB 98,000.

Many centers charge by the hour, with one-on-one service priced at RMB 500 per hour.

No Guarantees

The consultants assist in choosing universities, often helping with the college application process, but do not guarantee college acceptance. The consultancy fee is non-refundable.

The high cost and no guarantee has not discouraged parents and students from seeking their services, though. According to a survey by Legal Evening Post, 30 percent of students hire a consultant.

In fact, parents might start seeking consultants when their children are still high school seniors. Highly sought consultants, such as the dean of Shengdaxin Education, are booked solid despite the RMB 28,800 consultancy fee.

College Application as Important as Grades

Even with good exam results and high grades, a student could miss out on their dream university if their application is not up to par. Hence, 70 percent of high-scoring students seek professional guidance to help them get into the top universities of their choice.

Photo: Mount Ida College

From Sanlitun (三里屯), to Solana (蓝色港湾), to The Place (世贸天阶), to HouHai (后海), Beijing is a city full of endless entertainment and wonders. The beauty of the incredible CCTV Tower in Guomao, the stunning LED ceilings in The Place (世贸天阶), the Beijing traditional zhajiangmian (炸酱面) in Houhai, and the outdoor luxury shopping malls in Solana are all attractions you cannot miss!

Speaking of these places, why not allow me, a real teen Beijinger, take you on a one day tour in this vast city? Grab your cameras, and let’s get going!

7:00 am: The Early Bird goes for an early walk in my neighborhood, Merlin Garden

It’s always nice to start your day off with a walk early in the morning when the air is still fresh in Beijing.

Shall we take the subway to Sanlitun? The Beijing subway might seem like a jungle, but you’ll never know how convenient it is for getting around Beijing! We will be taking Subway Line 6 for nine stations from BaiShiQiao Nan to HuJiaLou, then switch to Line 10 for one station to reach TuanJieHu.

10:00 am: Off to TaiKooLi, Sanlitun

TaiKooLi, Sanlitun houses the best shopping malls, restaurants, and is known for its bar street. It has some of the biggest brands that teens love such as Apple, Hollister, Adidas, and much more. Tag your friends along for a shopping spree.

12:00 pm: Lunch

Even though we’re in Beijing, foreign foods are still the tastiest, but it’s nice to try Chinese-style pizza once in a while. Lets head to TubeStation Pizza in the north of Sanlitun. Sit down with your friends and chillax while you eat. Other than the gigantic pizzas, french fries with cheese is a must!

Pizzas: Small: 48 RMB – 60 RMB, Medium: 115 RMB – 170 RMB, Large: 150 RMB – 220 RMB; Salads: 33 RMB – 45 RMB, French Fries: 23 RMB, Fries with Cheese: 29 RMB, BBQ Wings: 34 RMB, Onion Rings: 23 RMB, Soft Drinks: 15 RMB

Let’s take a taxi for a change. Experiencing a Beijing taxi ride is like riding an everlasting roller coaster. You look outside the window and all you see are cars, trucks, and bicycles jammed together.

2:00 pm: Off to Solana

Solana here we go! This outdoor shopping mall houses the most luxurious shops, foods, and outdoor environment in the city.

6:00 pm: Dinner at Houhai

Houhai has some of the most traditional Beijing restaurants around the city. Order zhajiangmian, try some noodle soup, sit down with your family, and enjoy the beautiful Houhai at HaiWanJu. It will be a night to remember!

Zhajiangmian: 20 RMB, Guanchang: 18 RMB, Spicy Tofu: 25 RMB, Meatball: 27 RMB, Noodle Soup: Free

*There are a lot of dishes in this restaurant. The list above has my personal recommendations.

7:00 pm: The Place is the Place to be

Now that dusk is approaching, why not spend a few minutes strolling down The Place in Guomao? The Place is known not only for luxurious shopping and gourmet restaurants, but also for the biggest LED screen in Asia. The art, the space, the colors, the lights projected on the screen are extraordinary.

10:00 pm: Fun in the pool

End your night by taking a swim in one of Beijing’s luxury hotels, The Westin along the Financial Street in XiCheng.

12:00 am: View the view

Lastly, wrap your day up by appreciating the stunning view of the Financial Street in the heart of XiCheng.

What a day! Beijing is such a beautiful city with the tastiest food, luxurious malls, and the best attractions.

It has been a long, fun, and certainly memorable day. Of course we didn’t get to visit all the places in Beijing, but if there’s a chance, I would love to take everyone on a Tour in Beijing 2.0. For now, share the memories and selfies with your friends, and show them how amazing Beijing is!

Jing Wen is currently a junior at Tsinghua International School. She writes for the school newspaper, Spartan Times, and is a member of her school’s dance club. Outside school, Jing is passionate about life and loves socializing with different people from a variety of places. Through the student correspondent program, Jing hopes to share stories about her life, school, and her Beijing experiences with the rest of world!

The beijingkids student correspondent program provides a resource for guidance, feedback, and real-life training to high school students interested in writing and journalism. If you are a student interested in becoming a beijingkids student correspondent, or you know a student who is, please contact jessicasuotmaa@beijing-kids.com.

Photos: courtesy of Jing Wen

Tsinghua International School (THIS) is a school where discovery, collaboration, Spartan spirit, and engagement are valued. Though the school has been in existence for only seven years, what sets this school apart is its community, cool teachers, and the amiable students of this close-knit school in our big city.

Walking down the hallway of THIS, students greet teachers and teachers greet them. Everyone is included; every face that appears in the hallway will seem familiar. When new members join the THIS family, whether they are students or a teachers, everyone will attempt to include those who are new. Though THIS is a small school with approximately 200 students and 40 staff members, throughout the years the community has become tighter and its members have gotten closer.

Teachers are the motivators who keep students feeling alive. Though our teachers give students tons of homework, they seem much more approachable than our parents. In class, they always make jokes and faces to lighten students’ moods. Outside of class, teachers hang out with the students whether they’re engaging in a conversation or competing against each other in a sports game. The physics teacher competes against the high school boys in basketball while the math teacher engages in a passionate conversation about calculus with AP students. The biology teacher talks to everyone in the hallway asking whether they finished their homework. When girls are caught procrastinating on homework while going nuts over a Korean celebrity, what’s most amazing is the teachers who are able to jump into the conversation!

If teachers are the backbone of the THIS family, the students also strive to make our community stronger. Female students value friendship tremendously. Whether it’s going to lunch together, class, the bus, or bathroom, girls will always have a friend accompanying them. On the other hand, the guys are independent, humorous, and sporty. There are always guys shooting hoops on the court or mocking each other in the classroom. The more they joke, the tighter friendships become. The girls and the boys are close too. We get a long so well that there’s little distinction between the genders.

“I think that the most defining trait of THIS is that it is a very tightly-knit community. There’s ample time and enough camaraderie between teachers and students so that they see each other not as superiors and inferiors, but as more-experienced and less-experienced individuals,” says Yihua Zhang, Grade 11 student.

“The teachers cater not only to the students’ academic needs, but are great for conversations. They have advised students on things like how to make the best chili, or have told us random stories like the things they’ve done while bored on English potato farms. These are friendships that last beyond high school. This special relationship fosters respect, and it is this closeness of respect which pushes students to try hard,” she adds.

Undoubtedly, no matter where we end up in the future, we’ll  never forget the memorable times we’ve spent together at THIS – our  small school in a gigantic Beijing.

Photos: Courtesy of Jing Wen

Jing Wen is a junior at Tsinghua International School. She writes for the school’s newspaper, the Spartan Times, and considers herself an expert at swimming and badminton. Jing hopes to tell the world more about Tsinghua International School and of her life in Beijing.

The beijingkids student correspondent program gives high school students with an interest in writing and journalism a resource for guidance, feedback, and real-life training. If you are a student interested in becoming a beijingkids student correspondent, or you know a student who is, please contact yvetteferrari@beijing-kids.com

Figuring out what you want to do after high school can be tough.  From choosing whether or not to continue your studies right away and which college to attend, to choosing what subject you want to study and what specific courses to take can be as overwhelming for the parents as it is for the kids. An increasingly popular option these days is known as a “gap year”.  But just what is a gap year exactly, and is it right for your child?

What is it?
A gap year is just that, a gap year.  It’s taking a year off between finishing high school and starting college to save money, travel, gain some work experience, whatever you want to do.

Why take a gap year?
There are many good arguments for taking a gap year; some would argue that it provides adolescents with self-sufficiency, life experience, and a greater understanding of who they are and what they want to do in the future, which in itself can be helpful in making decisions regarding college applications.  In fact, many college applications encourage taking a gap year for these reasons, reasoning that students can bring a more mature outlook and heightened sense of perspective into the classroom. Another reason people choose to take a gap year is to save money for college or future travel. Personally, I swear by my gap year spent working in England; my worldview widened immensely, not to mention my sense of emotional maturity. While I didn’t save much money by the end, I did gain close friends, valuable work experience, and lifelong memories. Conversely, I had friends that were never interested, claiming that if they delayed college for a year they were afraid they would never make it, and others that downright regretted their decision to take a gap year. These friends of mine felt that while they had fun, they didn’t succeed in saving money, and overall just delayed their graduation from college and entering the workforce by a year.  In truth, the benefits of taking a gap year come down to the individual person, and what they choose to do with the year.

Gap year options:
Being a year in length provides adolescents with heaps of options; they can break up the time into smaller sections and try out a few different things, or save up some money in the first part of the year before traveling afterwards. Here are some options:

•    Working overseas: There are a wide range of websites to assist you with finding overseas work on your gap year – try gapyear.com or gapwork.com. Otherwise, if you hold a passport from an applicable country (check here), you can follow in the steps of yours truly and apply for a Youth Mobility visa to work in the UK.

•    Short-term study: If the idea of taking time off after 12 years of study before commencing another 3-4 years of further study to study doesn’t make them want to peel their own skin off, consider this a valid option.  You can find short-term language programs at a variety of universities overseas, or think Tsinghua for one close to home. Alternatively, utilize the World Wide Web and access thousands of online courses right at your fingertips. Check out coursera.com and udemy.com for courses in everything from Psychology, to Data Analysis, to Introductory Corporate Finance.

•    Volunteering: Using this time to volunteer can really make some positive change, as well as make a personal impact on the person and provide them with helpful contacts and life experience. Not to mention, it also looks great on a college application.  There are thousands of great organizations out there to get involved with, it’s just up to choosing one that is personally significant, whether it’s teaching in rural areas, helping with wildlife conservation, or getting hands on with building structures or community projects.

•    Travel: We can’t help too much with this one! If the options prove too multitudinous, check out contiki.com or busabout.com for more guided tour options.

Is it the right option for my child?
No two people are the same; whether or not a gap year is suitable depends on what the student wants to get out of it, their forward planning, and most of all their mindset. If your child is raring to get to college or enter the next phase of their life post-high school, then great. But if they are a bit tentative or just want to try something new for a year first, then a gap year might be for them.

Photos: courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Under the shadow of the street lights, a handsome, wealthy high school boy falls in love with a girl. She isn’t as wealthy as he is but she values life and discipline. He’s mesmerized by her beauty and values, but they know they can never be together. This is what millions of girls fawn over. This is the premise of Korean dramas. Having watched a number of Korean dramas such as My Love From the Star and The Heirs, I’ve discovered that every single drama starts and ends the same: A poor girl and a wealthy boy fall in love but there are barriers between them so throughout the film, they attempt to overcome these barriers. Even though this cliché plotline is tremendously addictive and dramatic, teenage girls yearn to be the main female protagonist. This leads me to wonder, what’s with youngsters and Korean dramas? And why are they so popular in comparison with Chinese dramas?

With the advent of winter, I could correctly predict that millions of grandmothers would begin purchasing large quilts and prepare to heat their homes with an intense Korean drama. However, what I couldn’t predict were large number of equally fervent young Chinese viewers, such as my female students at Tsinghua International School (THIS). Whenever I spot my friends on their electronics, I can guarantee nine out of ten are watching Korean dramas. Whether they are eating, chilling, or studying, they will always have an episode available on their phones.

A few months ago when a Korean drama called Pinocchio came out, I became obsessed with it to a point I couldn’t focus on my schoolwork. I wanted the life of the main character so badly because she was loved by everyone and was living the life that I’ve always dreamed of: The kind where you wake up in the arms of a handsome man whose face you’ll never get tired of gazing at. The kind of life where you can get lost in an unfamiliar city and your boyfriend finds you in a blink of an eye. This is my dream life, however I realize this dream is destroyed by reality. Girls frequently perceive watching dramas as a way to escape reality. With all the stresses students face in school, life, and in relationships, students use Korean drama as a means to alleviate stress. “Korean drama doesn’t [allow]me think of anything else other than the drama itself and it helps me relax because we get so much homework. I can just focus on the drama and escape to a new world where there’s no stress,” says THIS student Sue Yeom.

Korean dramas are certainly viewed as a form of escapism, however it’s also noteworthy that the number of Chinese viewers dwarf the number of viewers in America, Japan, Canada, and even Korea. What’s the difference between Chinese dramas and Korean dramas then? For starters, Korean dramas have incredibly attractive male protagonists with irresistible personalities whereas Chinese dramas have average looking guys with personalities that fans aren’t really interested in. Secondly, Chinese dramas are copying Korean dramas and the way they do so irritates viewers because the Chinese actors are not able to convey their love as well as the Korean actors. For example, a back hug shown in a Korean drama above seems very spontaneous whereas a back hug in a Chinese drama seems very forced and intentional. Furthermore, the timing of the scenes feel off and the dialogue between the characters seem unrealistic in Chinese dramas. Yoon Jeong, another THIS student agrees. “The theme and the general flow of Korean dramas are more natural in [comparison with]Chinese dramas. The fact that Chinese films attempt to create a Korean style plot makes the entire project meaningless and monotonous because there’s no point of watching it.”

Korean dramas are loved by everyone and they are the topic of numerous conversations. They will one day perhaps be worldwide phenomenon just like Hollywood movies. In fact, if you look at a typical street in China, they already have.

The beijingkids student correspondent program gives high school students with an interest in writing and journalism a resource for guidance, feedback, and real-life training. If you are a student interested in becoming a beijingkids student correspondent, or you know a student who is, please contact yvetteferrari@beijing-kids.com