Are you an “army” of BTS? A “blink” of Blackpink? Or perhaps an “NCTzen” of NCT? For the uninitiated, these are the names of some of the world’s biggest K-pop – or Korean pop music – idol groups. Names that flow through the cafeterias, classrooms, and hallways of just about every school. And their influence on teenagers’ lives, from daily routines to behaviors and even financial decisions, cannot be overstated.

BTS, currently the most celebrated K-pop idol boy group, has taken home an astounding ten Billboard awards over the past four years. Meanwhile, BLACKPINK – also from South Korea – has garnered more than 1.6 billion YouTube views since releasing their music video, “DDU-DUDDU-DU,” three years ago. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as the genre is saturated with innumerable acts, and a constant stream of programming continuously pumps out new groups and new fans that, in turn, create new “fandoms.”

But what does it mean to be part of a fandom? And just how deep can a teen fall into it?

Fandoms can be fun!

The primary reason many teenagers begin their journey in K-pop culture is simply for fun. Oftentimes, joining a fandom is the result of innocuously clicking on a YouTube video or following the recommendation of a friend, and then developing a crush on the idol. Ideally, an innocent bond forms and the fan gets to attend events where they have the opportunity to meet new, like-minded teens.

Fandom as an entrepreneurial endeavor

An often-overlooked advantage of joining a fandom is that participants actually stand to develop some pretty incredible organizing skills on their fan journey! One of my friends, 15-year-old Dora H. – who’s currently studying in the US – is a fan of a popular Chinese boy band. To celebrate one member’s birthday, she contacted two other fans online and put together a three-day event, hosted at a café in Sanlitun. While some might balk at the idea of throwing a birthday party for a celebrity, the process allowed Dora to develop some important life skills such as making agreements with the café, promoting the event, and creating unique merchandise to be given out to attendees.

The event was a huge success, attracting numerous fans whom the girls had never met before. By contributing to the fan community, then seeing her efforts appreciated by others, it gave Dora – and countless other youths who organize similar events for their fandom – a unique sense of belonging, the kind that makes you feel like you’re contributing to a greater community; something larger than yourself. Similarly, another friend of mine who attends Harrow International School Beijing (HISB) made more than RMB 800 by selling merchandise she designed for her favorite idol group.

Likewise, because the idols are “decorated” by their companies, i.e. creating a persona that’s all but flawless, teenage fans are thus motivated to be better people in their own right.

And yet, while there are a ton of benefits, we can’t overlook the flip side, for there are some darker corners lurking in any fandom…

Fandoms require a lot of dedication, sometimes at the expense of other priorities

For students, myself included, time is scarce. And unfortunately, it requires a lot of time and effort to follow all the news about an idol, watch all of their performances, recognize all the members in a group – which sometimes get into the double-digits –  and remember everyone’s “character.” This is time that could have been spent studying or doing other, perhaps arguably more meaningful things.

Fandoms aren’t cheap

Another overlooked downside is the cost involved. Given that serious competition can develop between different fandoms, both eager to prove their idol group is the greatest, fans will sometimes spend insane amounts of money to buy multiple copies of their albums to drive up sales numbers, not to mention other merchandise and products that are endorsed by their idols.

When fandoms enter the public sphere

There’s a litany of other minor, but annoying issues that impact the public as well. For instance, fans will commonly wait at airports for their idol’s arrival, resulting in astonishingly massive crowds. As a fan myself, I totally understand this behavior as I too have been motivated by the desire to see my idol. However, there’s no denying that it poses a serious inconvenience for airport staff and travelers.

When big business exploits fandoms

Lastly, one of this year’s hottest idol producing programs, Youth With You (青春有你), was sponsored by a beverage company. While it’s not uncommon for companies to sponsor such programming, what launched this particular sponsorship into controversy was the fact that one way to vote for a participant was to buy the sponsor’s products. One can of their drink equaled one vote. As a result, many fans bought enormous quantities of the drink, only to dump it all out and use the vote. The insidious product advertising that slipped into this fandom truly belies the positive image that pop idol culture tries to sell.

As teenagers, we are both consciously and unconsciously looking for role models to emulate. We need these fandoms, but what we don’t need are the obsessive behaviors that burn through our wallets, and create problems for others. So let’s try to keep that fan fever in check.

Are you a pop idol fan? Tell us about your favorite in the comments below!

KEEP READING: Let’s Get Physical! Dance Your Way to a Fitter You This Summer

Images: Dora H, BLACKPINK，BTS&GOT7 via Instagram

The beginning feels like the end. The end of traditional Chinese entertainment brought forth new beginnings, namely Korean pop idol culture, which grew globally like a golden apple tree against the frosted Eden of artistic consumerism.

K-pop idols have dream lives, dream talents, and dream hearts aglow a dreamy spine. They thrive on phantasmagoric scopes of intricate choreography, synthetic voices, and eccentric stage fashion, but ultimately, their modus operandi to achieving elusive popularity is archetyping: K-pop idols must share personality traits of a fan’s ideal self-image to sell a self-inserting fantasy.

Interestingly enough, this entire construct of fresh and whimsical manufacturing, packaging, and marketing of archetypes also appears in Beijing. Here, it shows up on TikTok, Instagram, and WeChat Moments, which teenagers browse daily, hourly, and with crackling candor, minutely. To fully grasp this mushroom garden of Chinese archetypes, blooming after the summer pour of Korean pioneers, we shall compare some examples.

The Queen Bee

Did Elizabeth want to be the queen of England? No, she was born to be. BLACKPINK member Jennie Kim fits this Queen Bee archetype: A natural leader; a crowning debutante. She’s all about European vacations and luxury fashion.

The Chinese version is strangely skewed, namely the ABG (Asian Born Gangsters, an awful, awful name!), which entails a confident socialite who’s typically bold, chaotic, and wields marvelous make-up. Whilst the Korean prototype portrays conservative chic, the Chinese doppelganger involves some materialistic lust in the stylings of American pop culture, such as carousing and modeling. This certainly appeals to an exclusive milieu of young, audacious, international teenagers.

The Nymphet

Another idol archetype is for “maknaes” (a Korean term for the youngest in a group), also called the “Nymphet”, derived from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita”. Think American Sweethearts, Lana Del Rey, red lollipops, red lipstick, hair ribbons, and baby doll dresses.

This archetype usually makes its appearance in Beijing via Japanese anime cosplay, which in itself spawned an entire Lolita subculture. Typically, Asian or culturally neutral archetypes gain greater success than western ones because the latter is deemed too “ostentatious” or “suggestive” for reticent Chinese youth. Nonetheless, occidental students at international schools enjoy powerful, flamboyant archetypes like the ABG, rather than simpler, cuter aesthetics.

Therefore, Chinese archetypes reside on two opposite ends of the spectrum, in order to satisfy these two often clashing audiences: The traditional “Girl-Next-Door” charm of minimalism, innocence, and natural beauty, or the Americanized “Rich Suburbanite” implosion of materialism, worldliness, and extravagant fashion.

Unfortunately, neither of the Chinese replications transcended their Korean instigators. K-pop idols are more unique and unpredictable because they blend western boldness smoothly with Asian genteelness. This cultural ambiguity means a random teenager can strike up small talk with her favorite archetype, be friends, and eventually become her rather easily because she is extremely believable, relatable, full of human curves and warmth.

Akin to cherry phosphates, too much gas distorts the flavor, while too much cherry smothers it instead. It will require time and practice for Chinese archetypes to concoct their own golden grace.

KEEP READING: Starving To Be “Liked” – Social Media and the Teens’ Beauty Perception

Images: Red Velvet Album Cover, Jennie Kim, Dominique Swain, Jang Won Young

I had first heard of the term “Nai Ba” (奶爸) in 2014 when my husband “wore” our son on a solo visit to Beijing and Chengdu (from the US) and posted a moment stating his new 奶爸, or “Milk Dad”, status. He was given the title by his friends, who had found the sight of a man caring for a child quite the phenomenon.

A stay-at-home father is such a rare existence in Beijing, that any dad who can care for his child single-handedly is labeled a “nai ba“, or “milk dad”.  A quick search on Bing shows that Chinese think the following guys fit the label:

Vin Diesel, the Babynator, in The Pacifier, where Vin Diesel is a US Navy Seal on a mission involving a widow and her five children.

Gru in Despicable Me, where Gru is a criminal mastermind who adopts kids for less-than-good-intentions.

Tatsumi Oga in Beelzebub, where Tatsumi, a teenager, is possessed by a demon baby.

…Clearly, the term is still used for surrogate dads, and not actual fathers.  A closer search does reveal that fathers and kids have become more featured in the media, such as the popular TV Show, Dad! Where are we going? (爸爸去哪儿, Baba Qu Na’er) where celebrity fathers spend quality time with their children, often highlighting their parenting fails;

the TV show, San Ge Nai Ba (三个奶爸, Three Milk Daddies), which is similar to the US original, 3 Men and a Baby;

Where’s the baby?

the cartoon, Da Tou Er Zi He Xiao Tou Baba (大头儿子小头爸爸, Big Head Son and Small Head Dad) where the mother takes a backseat to the father’s magic.

While my hubby could’ve taken the label as negative, which wouldn’t have been difficult with all the laughter he faced from both friends and strangers, he has heroically accepted it as part of his identity.  After all, to be a milk dad, is as emasculating as a man trying to breastfeed:

There are, of course, benefits to being a nai ba in a culture where fathers are expected to leave parenting to the mother and grandparents.  Not only does my hubby get daily ego boosts from all the admiring ladies, from young to old, who compliment him for being such a great dad (no matter what or how he’s parenting), but older men also approach him to remind him how lucky he is for they would’ve wished to have had the opportunity to be more involved in raising their (one) child.

When my hubby flies, eats at a restaurant, or goes anywhere in public, ayis and nainais (grandmothers) offer to help him hold the baby, feed the toddler, or clean up for him. Having traveled with a newborn and suffered through fourteen hour flights, transfers, and long waits where no one had offered anything beyond sympathetic smiles (which I had graciously accepted)–I’ve been more than a little jealous.  Being a Nai Ma (Milk Mom) is too literal.

Photo: Jessica Suotmaa, Eastday, Pixabay

1. Paralyzed Chinese Gymnast Welcomes Baby Boy
During the 1998 Goodwill Games in the US, rising Chinese gymnast Sang Lan (桑兰) shocked the country when she fell during a vault routine and became paralyzed from the waist down. Confined to a wheelchair ever since, she made the news again recently after giving birth to a healthy baby boy on April 14. Congratulations, Sang Lan! (Perhaps you’d like to submit his photo and details to our New Arrivals column?)

2. NLGX Food Stalls Shut Over Public Health Concerns
Perenially-crowded Nanluoguxiang (NLGX) has tons of little snack stalls with lines snaking out the door. We weren’t too surprised to find out that they were recently shut down over hygiene concerns. The reason? Too much garbage littering the streets. According to official figures, the number of food stalls has been reduced from 80 to 22. The extra space will be taken up by more “eco-friendly” shops.

3. One Hundred Doraemons to Descend on Beijing
From April 19 to June 22, 100 Doraemons will descend on Joy City Chaoyang. In case you’ve never heard of him, Doraemon is a cult figure from a Japanese animated series of the same name; he’s a blue robot cat from the future who can pull out fantastical tools from the pouch on his belly. Each of the 100 Doraemons in Beijing will have such a tool, including the “dream-come-true machine,” “door-to-any-destination,” “bamboo copter,” and time machine.
 

Chinese Social Media Roundup is a regular column that spotlights hot stories in the local media that may be of interest to expat families. It is written by Morgan Shang, beijingkids editorial assistant and born-and-bred Beijinger.

Photos: sohu.com, bj.people.com.cn

For the last installment introducing TV shows that teens are obsessed with, let’s look at shows that didn’t really fit within the comedies, supernatural and crime drama genres but still hold a very large fan base. Some of them have a wide-ranging demographic, so look out for the shows that have been around for a while now!

Doctor Who

Who doesn’t know Doctor Who? Currently on the eleventh regeneration of the Doctor, this show has proved to be a must watch for the now teenage population. Decades later the show is still a continuation of the adventures of a time traveling alien explorer, The Doctor (also a Time Lord) and his companions travel through space and time battling evil as they go.

Freda Zhao is a beijingkids intern (of the month) currently studying at the Western Academy of Beijing. She is one year from graduating high school. Outside of school work, she enjoys reading, painting, and mimicking cat sounds in her backyard (to draw strays to her house and feed them)

Our previous blogs spotlighted comedies and supernatural dramas that were suitable for a teen audience. However, a portion of the teenage population has been drawn to a more suspenseful and intriguing selection of crime dramas. These shows tend to feature a much more serious tone (though not without a healthy dose of humor) and focus on the lives of criminals – or those who pursue them.

Sherlock

Freda Zhao is a beijingkids intern (of the month) currently studying at the Western Academy of Beijing. She is one year from graduating high school. Outside of school work, she enjoys reading, painting, and mimicking cat sounds in her backyard (to draw strays to her house and feed them)

After the last installment on teen-appropriate, knee-slapping sitcoms, let’s switch over to the land of the supernatural. Everyone wonders what these non-human creatures would behave like if they existed and what certain technological advances could do to our perception of the world. These TV shows offer the perfect lens into the world of the unknown.

Supernatural
Following in the footsteps of their father, two brothers hunt demons, monsters, and other supernatural creatures to stop them from harming people. Their mother died at the hands of a demon when the brothers, Dean and Sam, were very young, leading their father to pursue the demon and disappear. After making a deal with the demon, their father died and left Dean and Sam to finish his crusade.

In the later seasons, there are not only demons, but angels as well; they appear as a factor in the Apocalypse, possessing people and wreaking havoc on earth, which sends Dean, Sam and their companions into “Hell” and “Purgatory” more often than they’d like.

An action-packed supernatural thriller with a side of angst and drama, Supernatural presents the perfect combination of everything that teenagers need from a show (save for romance). Beware, this series is considered “horror” for a reason!

Game of Thrones
Adapted from George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, Game of Thrones is currently the top-rated show of 2013. This high series depicts the struggle for control in the mythical land of Westeros between seven noble families.

Game of Thrones has underlying themes of politics, social hierarchy, crime and punishment, presented through the conflicts between the noble houses. Mythical creatures are presented as threats in one of the plotlines. Intrigue-filled and dark-toned, this series is plot-heavy and full of stunning special effects that leaves viewers aching for more, leading it to become an international favorite.

Fans who have read the book largely consider the show to be a faithful adaptation. However, be warned; both the books and the TV show contain swearing, mature themes, and sometimes liberal nudity.  

The Vampire Diaries
Vampires, vampires: the stereotypical creature of the supernatural that appears in teen romance stories. This show, adapted from the book series of the same name, focuses on the love triangle between two vampire brothers: eternally adolescent Stefan and Damon Salvatore and a high school girl, Elena Gilbert.

Damon seeks revenge against his younger brother Stefan for turning him into a vampire against his will. Featuring vampires and high school students, The Vampire Diaries series is immensely popular with younger teens fascinated by the supernatural and high school romance.

This show didn’t start out that great, but don’t give it up just after the first few episodes; later episodes and seasons really kick the story into action and steer away from the initial stereotypical cheesiness. Give it a chance.

The Walking Dead
There’s never a dearth of zombie apocalypse shows and movies. Rick Grimes, the sheriff’s deputy, awakes from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world ridden with flesh-eating zombies. He sets out to find his family, meeting many other survivors on the way – though not all of them are friendly.

In a world of very limited resources, survival is the top priority. Eventually, Rick leads a group of survivors in fending of zombies and competing against other groups of humans who are willing to do whatever it takes to survive. This show is not only for the zombie lovers out there; the plot and characters are excellent, and the amount of drama is just right. However, the faint of heart need not apply; there’s plenty of zombie gore.

Teen Wolf
What other popular supernatural creature are we missing? Werewolves. When high school freshman Scott McCall gets bitten by a werewolf in the woods, he didn’t expect all the danger and complications that came with heightened senses and increased athletic abilities.

Controlling “the wolf inside,” fending off the kanima (lizard-like revenge monster), and defending their “pack” against a deadly Alpha pack, Scott and his friends (some are werewolves, some are not) face both physical threats and emotional ordeals. Though some parts lean towards the cliché, this show is very popular and suitable for teens looking for something exciting and to some extent, relatable.

After we’ve explored the world of mythological and supernatural creatures in the television life of teens, the next installment will cover suspenseful crime dramas, either looking into the minds of those who commit crimes, or following those who capture criminals in their deduction wonders.

Click here for part 1 (sitcoms and comedies).

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, Alexandreholz of deviantART, CrymsonGT of deviantART, KCV80 of deviantART, and TheEpitomyofAwesome of deviantART

Freda Zhao is a beijingkids intern (of the month) currently studying at the Western Academy of Beijing. She is one year from graduating high school. Outside of school work, she enjoys reading, painting, and mimicking cat sounds in her backyard (to draw strays to her house and feed them).

There are expats in Beijing, and there are expats in Beijing. The Shunyi breed of expat is a completely different animal to the expat who works, lives and breathes in the middle of the city. If it were all up to me, our move to Beijing would have turned out something like this:

We would live in a high-rise apartment block in the middle of the city, where locking up the house for a quick trip out or an all-summer-long escape from Beijing would mean turning one key in one door. We would have enough balcony space for our dog, who was making the move with us from Switzerland. Our children would have gone to a small international school. And we would be living fairly close to my husband’s office.

I would only need to find an ayi to come two hours a day at most, because we would be in a flat small enough for me to handle. If the company driver would not be able to take me to do my errands, no bother, I would walk or pop into the nearest subway station. I would spend all my free time out in the city, soaking in what Beijing had to offer. My nearly seven years of living away from home was seamless in this way. No helper, no driver – no problemo.

But then we were hit with the ruling on large dogs. which limited our real estate search to beyond Fifth Ring Road. It crossed my mind to not take the dog along, but the rest of the family wouldn’t hear of it. So, all of my Internet searches shifted to Shunyi. All the while, I was mourning the loss of the opportunity to live where it was gritty, vibrant, and real.

However, Shunyi has its blessings; I don’t mean to look a gift horse in the mouth. But let’s face it; in many ways, this enclave isn’t really Beijing. That’s why I like to go to less laowai-explored places, eat with the locals, and chat them up despite my bungling attempts at speaking their language.

There are a lot of good things about living in Shunyi. It is a great place for families, the school facilities are mind-blowing, we’re spoiled by the amount of space, and there are plenty of people who are willing to help you figure out your unnecessarily complicated villa.

When a video entitled Beijing State of Mind, at once a parody of and tribute to Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” started making the rounds, I received the link from several friends who thought I would like it.

I loved the tongue-in-cheek portrayal of Beijing. It reminded me of what I don’t have, so watching it made me a little bit wistful. But it also reminded me that I am quite lucky to have the best of both worlds right here in Shunyi; I can pop into the city whenever I want to feel the vibe and soak up the culture, then get back on the highway and return to my comfortable reality. Everything is good; it’s all a state of mind.

Photo by Dana Cosio-Mercado

Dana is the beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent. Originally from the Philippines, she moved to Beijing in 2011 (via Europe) with her husband, two sons and Rusty the dog. She enjoys writing, photography, theater, visual arts, and trying new food. In her free time, she can be found exploring the city and driving along the mountain roads of Huairou, Miyun and Pinggu.

Collage made from a mashup of photos by Flickr user kalmyket and Wikimedia Commons

Most teenagers are glued to their computer screens for most of the time they spend awake, headphones plugged in and doing who knows what. Ever wondered what they’re up to? If it’s not social media, then chances are your teen is watching some sort of television show. The following is just a peek into what teens are watching today.

How I Met Your Mother
A sitcom that follows the story of Ted Mosby on his quest to finding love and the hilarious events that ensue involving his four best friends in Manhattan. After his friends Marshall and Lily become engaged after nine years of dating, Ted is set on finding his “true love” – a prospect that horrifies his friend Barney, the local Casanova.

Using a framing device, this story is told through a series of flashbacks from the future, as Ted explains to his children “how I met your mother.” Filled with love adventures (and misadventures), this show has been one of the top “go-tos” for teens (adults as well) in need of a rom com fill. The show has been going on since 2005, and its ninth and final season will be in 2013-2014.

Modern Family
All the joys and pains of parenting and families are concentrated in this award-winning mockumentary show. Phil and Claire Dunphy have perfectly complimentary personalities when it comes to raising their three very different children: Haley, Alex and Luke.

Claire’s father Jay Pritchett marries Gloria, a much younger and divorced Colombian woman, and relives his days of child-rearing with Gloria’s son Manny and their new baby.

Jay’s gay son Mitchell and his “trophy wife partner” Cameron adopt the adorable Vietnamese baby, Lily. With such diversified family members and unusual circumstances, hilarity is bound to happen and leave viewers gasping for breath. Teens love the silliness but also heart-warming family moments that occurs throughout the show, seeing how the “family” evolves over time through trials and tribulations. Very good for Friday nights curled up on the couch with a bag of chips and some laughs.

The Big Bang Theory
Five friends: four socially awkward geniuses and one aspiring actress. This sitcom features science (mostly physics) and geniuses with a lack of understanding for irony or sarcasm. Roommates Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter live across from Penny, who came to California chasing her dreams.

Howard Wolowitz and Raj Koothrappali are Sheldon and Leonard’s friends and co-workers at Caltech, and they often stop by their flat. The contrast between Penny’s social skills and common sense and Sheldon and Leonard’s lack thereof creates absolutely side-splitting moments throughout the show. Filled with references to quantum physics and string theory, this show has become an all-time favorite of many looking for a good laugh and the scene of some interesting intellectual debates, with a side of awkward romance and lack of common sense on the part of the four physicists.

The Office
An American adaptation of the BBC hit, The Office is a mockumentary that portrays the everyday lives of employees at the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Michael Scott is the (ill-suited) Regional Manager of the Scranton branch; his social insecurity and incapability to cope with responsibility cause him to often (though unintentionally) offend others in his attempts at humor.

The cast grows as the seasons progress, starting with around four and expanding to more than 10 by the end of the ninth and final season. The varying personalities in the office make for good jokes and the occasional inappropriate behavior.

The short episode lengths of just over 20 minutes allows teens to take short breaks and enjoy some laughs before returning to tedious schoolwork, as well as get a general idea (though slightly comical) of what an office employees live through every day.

Community
Looking at the lives of a group of community college students in fictional Greendale, Colorado, this comedy series uses meta-humor and pop culture references to depict the diverse staff and student body. Centered around a lawyer who never earned his bachelor’s degree and ended up enrolled at a community college, this show features interesting personalities such as a millionaire, a former drug addict, a former quarterback, a single mother, and a film student in the same study group. The sense of community in a smaller college and the bonding that happens between these very different people adds the realistic factor of this show.

Now that you have an idea of what makes teens laugh, keep your eyes open for the next installment: Lands of fantasy and supernatural thrillers!

Photos courtesy from Kwintin, JamieMoVieSeRieS, and doobybrain of Flickr

Freda Zhao is a beijingkids intern (of the month) currently studying at the Western Academy of Beijing. She is one year from graduating high school. Outside of school work, she enjoys reading, painting, and mimicking cat sounds in her backyard (to draw strays to her house and feed them).