If you read the words “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… “ and the image of text scrolling through space doesn’t automatically come to your mind, this probably isn’t the article for you.

For the Sci-Fi fans in Beijing, today (May 4) is somewhat of a holiday, as it coincides with the state national vacation. Yet thanks to its similarity with the famous quote “May the Force be with you”, May fourth has become international Star Wars Day, a day when fans all around the world celebrate their favorite Sci-Fi franchise.

The first Star Wars movie, Episode IV – A New Hope, came out way back in 1977 and the latest one, The Rise of Skywalker came out just last year. There are now 10 episodes that span across 42 years (and counting) in the canon, but is it still possible for a die-hard parent fan to share their love for the way of the Jedi with their kids? Do young kids still find Star Wars cool?

We couldn’t think of anyone better to answer that question than Vincent Rondia, a member of the 501st – Vader’s Fist International Costumier Club, an intentional fan-based organization dedicated to the construction and wearing of screen-accurate replicas of Imperial Stormtrooper armor, Sith Lords, Clone Troopers, bounty hunters, and other villains from the Star Wars universe. Rondia’s love for Star Wars started at the age of 6 when he saw it in theaters for the first time in his home country of Belgium, according to him, it took all 20 seconds of the opening sequence for him to be totally hooked, and to date, he’s made multiple Storm Trooper armors, and (our personal favorite) a life-size Chewbacca costume that he made from scratch. Rondia’s works are so accurate that they’ve been exhibited in Beijing at East Hotel for all to enjoy and admire.

Rondia in one of his hand made costumes

What is it about Star Wars that you like so much?

It draws on a very basic concept of storytelling; good vs. bad. The simplicity of the story, as well as the tried-and-tested classic literature framework makes it easy to get into if you let it. A lot of Sci-Fi movies try to find their place in actual science, but not Star Wars, it does not care much for it, it’s just a fantasyland, a huge universe with many planets, species, and stories.

Does your daughter enjoy Star Wars? Is this something you’ve tried to share with her?

My daughter has been into Star Wars since she was 3 years old when she watched the first Family Guy: Star Wars Special. Don’t judge! At the time she did not speak enough English at the time to understand the swearing or innuendos [laughs.] She enjoyed watching me laugh and then when I showed her the actual movie she enjoyed it. Since then, she has watched every movie and animated series in the canon and knows probably more than I do. At the time I was looking for something for us to bond over and it just happened that Star Wars was it. She came with me to a couple of Celebrations (Star Wars mega convention) and while she is not necessarily as outgoing about it as when she little, she still enjoys coming to the movies or watching the films at home.

Why do you think Star Wars is important, and why does it continue to have such an impact?

The original Star Wars films came out at a time when people needed something different, unique, and crazy to get them out of the funk they were into at the time. Because it met all the criteria and more it was embraced, and became part of popular culture, inventing a lot of what we know today as pop culture actually.

So many movies, TV shows, and books have references to the Star Wars Universe. It transcends, culture, gender, religion, and social status and it offers an escape for all. The story is as relevant today as it was then; it is easy to identify with certain characters or some story arcs. Visually, the design is so iconic that anything black and white is often referred to as ‘stormtrooper-esque’. Again it has to do with the simplicity: of the story, of the visual design, of the characters.

The original trilogy re-invented to use of orchestra for movie scores and invented practical effects and sound effects techniques that are still in use today. It launched merchandising in the way we know it, grandfathered cosplay, and redefined “Fandom”. And it also launched the most iconic character ever: Darth Vader.

The prequel was equally amazing in their technical contribution: it reinvented green screen techniques for EFX, and featured the first fully CGI character integrated into a movie, who was probably also one of the most hated characters in the history of movies: Jar Jar Binks.

Nope, not a scene from a film… just some more amazing costuming

Star Wars fans seem to be a pretty tight-knit community. What do you enjoy about being part of this family?

The 501’s consists of about 20,000 people around the world doing accurate replicas of the costumes used in the films. This is a really tight community with loads of passion. Being able to be out in public in costume, sharing the Star Wars Universe for a brief moment, and seeing both kids and adults get excited about taking a picture with their favorite character is awesome. Working alongside the Make-a-Wish Foundation to visit children at hospitals or meeting fans in need is also truly special.

I traveled to Japan for Comic-Con once, and had a medical issue. Fellow members of the 501st that I had just met the day before had no issue dropping everything and coming to help me. This is the spirit of what we do: knowing that there are plenty of people of different colors, races, genders, beliefs and so on who are actually just like us. This is a powerful feeling.

Of course, we are the very top of the ‘fans pyramid’, spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on our creations. But you only have to take a step into a Star Wars Celebration convention to meet 80,000 fans of all levels from casual to hardcore to realize that we all have something in common: a sincere love of Star Wars. This is hard to find anywhere else.

KEEP READING: Star Wars, a Film for all Ages

Photos: Courtesy of Vincent Rondia, Unsplash

Chinese League Players Hope to Make Their Mark at Soccer World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Russia on June 14, with 32 teams from around the world ready to serve up a feast of football. China didn’t make it, sadly, with Asian interest represented by South Korea, Iran, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. However, several players from the Chinese Super League will be there, some of them famous names. Javier Mascherano, now at Hebei China Fortune, will play for Argentina, while Jon Obi Mikel of Tianjin Teda has been selected for Nigeria. And Beijing Guo’an’s very own Renato Augusto (pictured above) is in the squad for tournament favorites Brazil. If your country will be there we wish you the best of luck; and if not, we can all enjoy a month of the beautiful game played at the highest level.

May the Force Be with You at the Star Wars Experience
Kids, and more than a few dads, will be excited to hear that the Star Wars Experience will open at Wukesong Stadium on June 16. Exhibits include a life-size X Wing fighter, virtual reality games, and recreations of sets from the movies. Pose for pictures with a lightsaber, unleash your inner Jedi – and try not to embarrass your younglings too much.

Summer Rings in the Changes
Summer always brings changes in Beijing’s international community. If you’re leaving, we wish you joy on your next adventure; and if you’ve just arrived, welcome to a vibrant and exciting, if sometimes challenging, city! Sadly, this month, beijingkids will be saying goodbye to our senior editor and Shunyi correspondent Andrew Killeen. He has been a wonderful person to work with and to learn from over the past couple of years. While he won’t be completely absent from the pages of our magazine and the website, all future insights into the funny world of being an expat dad will be done from the Killeen’s new base in Ningbo. We wish the Killeen clan all the luck in the world on their new adventure!

Rock Around the Clock (well, from 11am to 8pm) at the Beijinger Burger Festival!
One of Beijing’s most popular food events returns to Galaxy Soho on June 16-17. The Beijing Burger Festival of our sister brand the Beijinger has a rock’n’roll theme this year, so as well as 40 different vendors tempting you with their wares, there’ll be live bands, a karaoke competition, and a kids’ area for your little rockers. For more information and tickets, check out the Beijinger website: www.thebeijinger.com.

Nothing Sinister at All about Use of Facial Recognition at School
China is at the forefront of the use of facial recognition technology, so the news that a Hangzhou school is monitoring students’ faces with cameras is in no way sinister at all. The system assesses whether the kids are angry, sad, or sleepy, and then sends information to their parents, in a development which is perfectly normal and definitely not a horrific glimpse of a nightmare future. Strangely some parents were not delighted about this ingenious method of putting further pressure on children to conform and perform, but the Principal of the school defended the decision, saying that the cameras didn’t film the students, only tracked their movements and facial expressions. So that’s all right then.

This article appeared on p6 of beijingkids June 2018 issue
Photos: Courtesy of the Beijinger, Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil via Wikimedia Commons, South China Morning Post, Pixabay

Like hapless Storm Troopers under the spell of a Jedi mind trick, nostalgic parents that grew up with Star Wars can’t resist the thought of taking their little ones to see Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

But as the latest installment breaks box office records abroad and anticipation reaches a zenith this week ahead of its January 9 China release (tickets are already on sale), parents may ask themselves: how young is too young for a film like this?

After all, what if a deep breathing Vader-ish villain graces the screen, and leaves your youngster traumatized? Or what if a ghoulish alien gives them nightmares for ages?

Thankfully, there are resources for parents hoping to determine if this new flick (and any other movie, for that matter) is age appropriate.

Kids In Mind may be the most detailed (perhaps even overly so). The beginning of its Force Awakens review features a chart with three categories: sex and nudity, violence and gore, and profanity. Beneath is a thorough examination of virtually every scene that could possibly cause offense in those categories, ranging from the useful ("A dark cloaked person draws a flaming saber and slashes up the wall of a room in anger" in the violence and gore category) to the overprotective ("A young woman kisses a young man on the forehead" in the "sex and nudity" category).

Of course these descriptions are chock full of spoilers, and short of reading through it all, it’s hard to get a quick snapshot of a "yea" or "nay" on age-appropriateness.

Is This Movie Suitable takes a less conservative stance than Kids In Mind, though its reviews are equally rambling, following a narrative format that may not be useful for time-pressed parents accustomed to the bite-sized listicles that are flavor du jour.

Common Sense Media may be more helpful. Its rundown is not overwhelmingly long, and better still, its tone is also far less moralistic than Kids In Mind. It features warnings about sex, violence and language, but also has far more upbeat categories like positive role models and positive messages.

It even has a category about consumerism, which will delight progressive parents. And film buffs will be very appreciative of its spoiler alerts.

Meanwhile, Time and The Guardian have weighed in with conventional articles outlying their critics’ takes on the flick’s age-appropriateness.

The film has a PG-13 rating, mainly due to fighting and the inevitable waves of violent death that occur in action movies, but each of these sites has a slightly different take on how old a child should be before seeing this film. On the young end some mention 6 years old, and on the high end 13.

Our take? Maybe 6 is a little on the young side, but we’d say those age 8 and over should be able to enjoy it without too much permanent emotional damage. Provided your child is not disturbed by fighting and their dreams are not regularly populated by freaky aliens and weirdo space creatures, the film should be enjoyable with parental guidance.

Parents of tweens and above need not worry.

However, some moms and dads are not concerned by the content of such films, but rather the format. Such fears are addressed at 3Deyehealth.org, which has an exhaustive (or exhausting, depending on your degree of cynicism) list of every possible 3D related worry. It debunks some primary concerns, saying: "No detrimental effects of viewing 3D have been reported at any age," while also doling out a few cautious warnings like: "As with most actives moderation is important." Some of its categories are, in our humble estimation, downright paranoid, especially the first, which asks: "Should I as a 3D moviegoer be concerned about the disinfection process used on 3D glasses dispensed at the 3D movie theater?" BabyCenter.com, meanwhile, has a short post written by a pediatric ophthalmologist who insists there’s no evidence that those trendy cinema goggles are harmful, before adding: "In fact, watching 3D media is pretty much the same as watching something in real life." A more detailed, and densely jargony, take on that same argument can be found at Newscientist.com.

Advanced tickets are already on sale, so if you want to go this weekend, best try to buy online now as some showings are already booked out.

Photo: IMDB

We love invitations to events and we receive our share of ones that occasionally seem strange, but we were intrigued by the one we got from The Opposite House Tuesday afternoon.

"May The Force Be With You – The Opposite House Presents Star Wars International Day," reads the subject line. The Sanlitun Swire venue will hold two separate events on Saturday, May 3: one at Village Cafe from 4:30-6pm, to launch its new kids’ menu and provide photo opportunities with Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, and Rebels.

Star Wars Day is actually celebrated on May 4 ("May the Fourth" is a semi-pun supposed to sound like "May the Force"), but since our goofy holiday schedule mandates everyone back to work as punishment for having International Labor Day off, May 3 somehow makes more sense. This is actually the second year in a row The Opposite House is holding Skywalker-themed events.

Insert your Star Wars cliche here.

More straightforward, Home Plate Bar-B-Que is having a Kentucky Derby party on Saturday, the day of the race’s running, except it’s 12 hours before the actual event starts in the US. No matter, there will still be mint juleps and Kentucky Ale beers for RMB 30 each. And they’re off!

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on April 30, 2014 and has been slightly modified.

Photo courtesy of OnePlusInfinity via thebeijinger.com