The John Locke Institute Essay Competition, though only a decade old, has quickly become a highly sought-after academic credential for students worldwide. Last year alone, it received over 30,000 entries.

Students from Beijing, Shanghai, and other Chinese cities have consistently excelled in the competition. In 2023, a student from the Shanghai American School won the top prize, and past winners include students from Beijing New Talent Academy and Beijing Normal University’s Experimental High School.

This year’s competition opens on April 1. Tonight, you’ll have the unique opportunity to hear directly from the founder of the John Locke Institute, Martin Cox, in a special WeChat Channels live stream with Jingkids Founder Toni Ma. Tune in tonight (Monday, March 17) from 7:30 PM to 9 PM. The livestream will be conducted in English.

Whether you have questions about essay strategies or want to learn more about the competition and their global academic camps, this is your chance to get insider insights. Bring your questions and prepare to gain valuable advice on how the John Locke Institute can help you grow—not just as a student, but as a thinker.

Since its launch in 2015, the competition has attracted curious minds from around the world. Essays must be no longer than 2,000 words and can be submitted in seven categories: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law. Essays are evaluated by professors from Oxford and Princeton, with prizes awarded in each category. The Grand Prize is given to the best overall essay, and there’s a special prize for participants under 15.

If your child is eager for more intellectual challenges, the John Locke Institute offers global academic camps. This year, they’re introducing an Economics & Finance Summer School in Nanjing from July 1 to 8. Designed for students aged 13 to 18, the camp features lively debates, engaging lectures, and opportunities to connect with like-minded peers from around the world.

Images: John Locke Institute

If you are looking for more writing opportunities that range from publication to competitions to workshops, you might just be looking for Wrizing.

Wrizing combines a publishing house, a magazine, a writing network, and a writing competition all into one.

Founded in October 2022 by graduated Dulwich College Beijing student Helena 石榴, who is currently taking a gap year and publishing her second poetry book the sixteenth sense, Wrizing’s purpose is to connect writers from all ages within and outside of Beijing. Wrizing is a non-profit, international organization with a local foundation striving to cultivate a safe community for expression and exploration.

Wrizing is open to all, so writers can submit work of all genres and topics if contents are socially and culturally aware with no ill intent or hurtful commentaries. Wrizing appreciates and nurtures the art of writing and linguistic creativity while upholding the principles of being a global citizen.

The scope of Wrizing is broad: Subscribers will get issues and up-to-date information in their email boxes, and writers can submit their works to be featured on the website, attend Wrizing workshops and events to improve their writing skills, and try out for Wrizing’s upcoming writing competition.

Click here to check out Wrizing’s website: www.wrizing.com

Submit your writing digitally through email: wrizingarticles@outlook.com
Follow us on Instagram @wrizingmagazine

Images: Pexels

Wrizing is not just for Gen Z, but for everyone. Wrizing will cultivate a community of aspiring and current writers. I’m Gen Z and the majority of people in the executive team will be as well, as the target audience for the executive and general team is middle school, high school and university students.

I founded Wrizing as a platform for people to share and voice their thoughts and writing in a safe and accepting community. But the unique thing about Wrizing is that it’s not just a magazine, but an amalgam of opportunities. There will be writing-related events, workshops, competitions, performances, and more!

As applications have recently begun coming in, this article will explain the origin, mission, and visions of Wrizing, as well as the various roles and timeline. For non-applicants, this will allow you to see whether you want to be a part of the Wrizing community!

Why me and why now? My name is Helena 石榴, aged 18, and I’m currently taking a gap year! I’ve always wanted to create a writing community, but never had the chance to due to high school exams and university applications. Therefore, one of the reasons behind my gap year decision is to complete some of my goals and wishes before I enter university and the work field. (By the way, I wrote an article about my gap tear in the jingkids 2022 issue, which will be out soon!)

If you haven’t come across one of my jingkids articles yet, you might be wondering what makes me qualified.

Here are some related qualifications:

• Published Poet: {Nectare} poetry book, June 2021
• Hong Kong Young Writers Awards: 1st place, 2022
• Co-founder of a Youth Charity Org (Art+Charity 艺+益公益基金)
• Unit-E Magazine Head Column Editor
• jingkids Magazine Intern (as teen writer in 2021, as editor in 2022)
• 菁 kids Graduate Summit 2022 speaker
• Inc. China Magazine Issue 09.2021: on the cover + interviewed
• Miss Culture & Tourism of the World 2021
• Numerous public speaking + MC/anchor experiences
• Project Nightingale (migrant kids music + English education) treasurer
• DCB’s Alleyn House Prefect + won House Cup
• Co-founder of DCB’s first Philosophy Club
• Choir President + orchestra principle cellist

Origin:
In high school, I dedicated a lot of blood and sweat to writing, acquiring as many opportunities as possible. Yet, there were many things I looked for but couldn’t find, and thus Wrizing was born!

Mission:
To help aspiring writers
To provide free education
To create a loving community
To boost writers’ confidence
To raise awareness
To provide a platform for all
To let our voices be heard

Vision:
We are a community of rising writers, using our voices to raise awareness and bring attention to prominent matters. At the same time, we also record and share the small beauties of life and the wonders of writing.

Well, how does Wrizing work? Anyone can email their article/writing to Wrizing (email to be released during the official launch), and our teams will review, edit, and beautify (with pics and formatting) the article. Afterwards, it will be published in our weekly posts via the website and official WeChat account. Email subscribers and social media followers will get notified with an update and summary of the articles.

In regards to the email subscription, no fees are required. I strongly believe that everyone should have access to a platform to read and share information, hence I’m making Wrizing a non-profit. All proceeds will either be used to book venues and print the yearly magazine, or be donated to other education-related charities. But please subscribe and follow us to receive updates and be the first to know about our other fun offerings!

Timeline:
Sep 12 – 26: Applications for executive team and general team
Oct 3: Official launch of Wrizing
Oct: Website design, official WeChat account + social media setup, and more.
Nov: website launch, email subscription signups, outreach events, weekly posts begin.
Dec: first writing competition
Jan: first writing workshop, performance, and more!

What’s the difference between the executive and general team? To summarize, the general team is led by the corresponding exec, who will oversee their team. There will be a group chat for each general team, with both me and the exec in it, as well as a bigger group chat for all members. In the exec group chat, I will oversee updates from them, and we will have virtual weekly/biweekly meetings.

Allocations for the exec team will be tight, but for some bigger and slightly more intensive roles — like PRO, Operations, Editing, Translations — there will be co-leaders! On the other hand, for the general team, if you apply, you’re very likely to get in! This is because I want more people to step out of their comfort zones, try new things, and explore their interests. But at the same time, the application will allow me to review where their interests lie and their genuineness.

The reason why I’m making exec applications 14+ is because certain things (like making calls, booking venues, outreach, etc.) require a certain age. Therefore, the general team will not only gain the skills required for future exec team applications, but also write and work with a team on the whole. But most importantly, members will be a part of a tight-knit community that will aid their growth and exploration, while contributing to the big community one page at a time.

Regardless, there is definitely something for you, especially as both teams can be a part of the editing process. If there’s an article you really want to edit but are not a part of the editing team, then you can reach out to the editing head and join the small group. For each article, there will be a small group of five dedicated to reviewing and editing. But please note that we will be receiving lots of articles so there is a bundle of opportunities!

Executive team roles:
Secretary: take meeting notes, organize docs & paperwork, send/reply to emails, make calls
Financial Officer: budgeting, inventory, expenses, revenue projection, Excel sheet management
Public Relations Officer: press release, promotional material, campaigns, build/maintain positive relationships with other orgs + Wrizing’s overall image, seek opportunities + outreach
Media: manage social media, publish articles onto website + other SM accounts
Design: webpage design, article + magazine layout, logos, merchandise
Operations: production management, events coordination, analyze data, logistics, strategy, research
Sustainability: sustainable production & events
Translations: translate articles into different languages (Chinese, Korean, German, French, etc.)
Editing: oversee the editing aspect, briefly summarize each article, Excel spread sheet

Applications end on Sep 26, which is in two weeks. This is a also a good experience to add to your resume!

Here is the link for the executive team application:

And for the general team.

Lastly, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email (Helenaslpom@outlook.com), WeChat (Helenaslpom), Instagram (Helenaslpom), or 小红书 (Helenaslpom).

KEEP READING: Beijing Teens Have Spoken: What Makes a Teacher Great?

Images: Pexels

Once Upon a Time… We asked students to come up with their own Beijing adaptation of their favorite childhood fairy tales. Thank you to all the students who have submitted their work. We’ll be publishing them online and selecting the best story that fits all the criteria to be included in the upcoming issue of Jingkids.

Snow White and The Seven Dwarves (With a Twist)

By: Olivia Li (age 11)

Not so long time ago, we all knew a ridiculously normal tale called Snow White which is about a perfectly ordinary human being that lives in a world where she lost her own mother and lives with her dad and an evil stepmother who is desperately mad because somehow her magic mirror told her that Snow White is more bootaful than her. And she was not letting her win what I call a ‘beauty pageant’ so she decided to have her poisoned and blah, blah, blah. Boring stuff.

But today, you are lucky enough to have me to tell you a more savage, more murder-like version. Well, here goes…

Twice upon a time, there was a spoiled and greedy little brat named Snow White. Her poor father spent ages trying to make her happy by buying her expensive designer clothes, Louis Vuitton bags, Starbucks matcha frappes (with extra whipped cream and sprinkles), and millions of iPhone 12s. But Snow White never stopped asking for more and more things. The person who struggled the most was her not-so-evil stepmother. She was forced to wash Snow Whites’s dirty undies every day, make crème pies with Snow White’s face on them, and clean Snow White’s enormously gigantic room every two hours. So finally, she and Snow White’s dad agreed to set her in a forest to get some peace. They’ve tried hard to convince her but —

“No! Who would go to a moldy forest when I could go buy more Louis Vuittons!?” screamed Snow White.

“Please! Just for one hour!” begged the stepmother.

“Daddy! This maniac has kidnapped me! She wants to break into my Hello Kitty bank and steal my money to buy all the merch at the Korean concert! Waaaah!”

That night, Snow White snuggled up in her blankie and fell asleep, but what she didn’t realize was that a group of dwarves were spying on her. Their names were Grumpy, Dopey, Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, and Sneezy.

“I heard that she has been a very naughty young lady, disobeying her parents,” one said.

“Your right, you know that her poor parents spent hours cleaning up after her ever since she was born.”

“You two chocolate chip muffins! That lady is not her real mum, her actual real mum died years ago because she got electrocuted whilst playing Xbox Mario Kart 2.”

“You dingbat dodo! Firstly, her real mum died of childbirth, which means that after she had her kid, she died, and next, that lady is her stepmother, which means that her father got-”

“Well, Mr. Smarty Pants, I’m sorry to interrupt your five-million-year-long lecture, but I don’t understand why we are here. I’m freezing, and I’ve got a hot pan of soup on the stove, it’s probably burning down our house now.”

“Oh my, everybody quickly! Charge!” said Doc. And then they left.

A few minutes later, they returned back, all a bit dizzy.

“You Ratsnitchit! You burnt our beautiful cottage made from cottage cheese! You evil cow!”

“At least I’ve got my delicious pan of tomato soup and thanks to the burn, it’s now coated with warm cottage cheese”

“Daddy! Daddy! There’s poisonous cheese outside my window! Waaah! And they’re walking and talking! Help!”, yelled Snow White. Her dad rushed in, holding a lacrosse racket from his kindergarten, and then her stepmother came in sleepily, bumping into her Snow White whilst holding onto a slightly wonky fishing net.

“How rude! Why did you bump into me?! You ought to buy me a hundred Louis Vuittons!”

“Oh, I do apologize for bumping into your face, but I will not be buying you one hundred Louis Vuitton bags, understood?”

“No?” asked Snow White, slightly terrified and offended. Her stepmother looked and felt as pleased as if she had trained a lion to use the human potty.

“But….” began Snow White, she was very terrified and even more offended. No-one had ever spoken to her like this before. Suddenly, she squealed and smirked.

“What’s wrong?” her stepmother asked.

“Nothing much.” Snow White hopped away, into her room. She was planning to go somewhere…

She already packed earlier, a camouflaged cape, her phone (fully charged which can last about 10 days), a hairbrush, her Ms. Piggy PJ’s, an apple, plenty of oat bars, fifty cans of canned beans, pens, a couple of note pads, poker cards, rubbing alcohol spray, a fork, an iPad, lucky charms (for luck), an eye mask, 100 packs of hand and body warmers, Miss. Suzy (her pet piglet), hay and pig treats, a lot of water, a blanket and pillows, a small tent, and a pocket knife. She did not bother to bring her toothbrush because who needs to brush their teeth when you’ve got a bag crammed with sweets and goodies? She quickly grabbed her bank full of millions of RMBs and skipped into the forest, carrying her backpack on her back, Miss. Suzy in a designer case in one of her hands, and a flashlight with fresh batteries in the other. She soon found the dwarves in the heart of the forest, building another cottage cheese cottage and decided to pitch her tent and spy on them. It was already getting dark, so she opened one can of canned beans and sat in her tent to eat. She loved that the canned beans have a slight taste of tomatoes, and she also gave Miss. Suzy some dinner. And then, they fell asleep. The next morning Snow White had planned to sneak into the cottage, so she quietly jumped in with her pig and got in. Suddenly, someone got her…

Okie Dokie, where are we, ah yes. Snow White froze. She felt cold and dusty fingers crawling around her, she didn’t dare to turn around, she just froze, as still as a statue.

“Welly well, who do we have here? Little Snow White huh?” said a mysterious voice. Snow White couldn’t talk. She just wanted to run back to her house, back to her room, back to her family. The mysterious figure smiled the creepiest smile.  Suddenly, the dust caught her nose and she achooed, shooting something out onto the bony fingers.

“Of course, if your parents have been teaching you manners, you would have used a hankie,” Mumbled the figure, wiping the bloody snot off its fingers with a yellow duck hankie. Snow White felt slightly annoyed.

“Who are you?” demanded Snow White, crossly.

“I am a professional kid hunter. I hunt kids that won’t listen to their parents and get themselves lost in the woods.”

“I am not a kid. I am eight years old and I’m a grown up now, technically 24 years old, a tweenager,” blabbed out Snow White without thinking.

“Oh, I see,” answered the figure, confused. “And I am the amazing kid hunter um, uh, well…TIREDOFHERKIDSNOWWHITE’SBEHAVIOUR! Uh, in other words, uh step mommy?!” Snow White realised that kid hunter sounded just like her stepmother, and she was ready to rip her wig off to reveal her face even though she had no idea why is she doing it, but she did it anyway.

“Hands off the wig, you!” But it was too late. Snow White had really heavy hands and whilst she yanked the wig off, she also pulled down most of the actual hair. Now we end with a bald stepmother and Snow White who is dead ferocious. Now, do you like my jazzy new version written today, or would you prefer the old classic version? Maybe an even more savage version is coming out in a few years…… hmmmm.

THE END

Olivia Li is an 11 years and 5 months old girl from Beijing but spent her early years mainly in Scotland. She’s currently a Year 6 student at Harrow Beijing. Li’s hobbies include acting, horse riding, reading, looking after her pets (two cats, one dog, nine fish, and one dead mosquito that has been stuck on her bookshelf for a year), adult-sitting, shopping, collecting blind box figures, drawing, fishing, exploring and decorating her room.

Images: Pexels

We’re looking for talented young writers to come up with their own Beijing adaptation of classic fairy tales like “Beauty and The Beast,” “Cinderella,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Snow White,” “Goldilocks and The Three Bears,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” etc. Take the story plot from your favorite childhood fairy tale and adapt it to life here in Beijing.

Did the Little Mermaid live under Houhai Lake and fall in love with a visiting tourist? Maybe. Or perhaps Cinderella is fuerdai whose trust fund is under the control of her wicked stepmother.

The best story will be published in the March issue of beijingkids in a beautiful two-page spread along with eternal bragging rights.

To enter:

• Stories must be between 800 – 1200 words.
• Email your story to editor@beijing-kids.com along with your full name and age by 5pm on Feb 28, 2021. Late submissions will not be accepted.

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

Images: Unsplash

Our latest November issue gives parents a great guide to technology, and games can also introduce kids to lifelong passions and careers. We turned to local game designer Ben “Books” Schwartz for ideas on how to turn gaming and storytelling into a fulfilling job.

A Look Behind The Pixelated Curtain

Shanghai has long been the hub of the Chinese video game ecosystem, but Beijing is now making a play for that crown. The ambitious “E-Sports Beijing 2020” initiative, announced in August, is providing funding for Beijing-based video game teams, arenas, events, and developers. This comes in a time of explosive growth for the gaming world by every metric — more people are playing more games (and spending more money on games!) than ever before.

But those games don’t come from thin air — every one of them is made by actual people. So the growth of the game industry means that more people than ever are making games. That’s a trend that seems likely to continue indefinitely, meaning that an ever-growing percentage of today’s youth will grow up to follow careers in the video game world. And really, who can blame them? As a game designer myself, I can confirm that game development is a very exciting field and an enormous amount of fun. It’s also a whole lot of work, most of which the players never see. So what does it actually take to bring a video game to life?

The Elements of Game Creation

Making a game requires contributions from numerous different disciplines. Game designers are the backbone, thinking through the mechanics of what the player will actually do and figuring out what’s fun. Writers and narrative designers (like me!) create a story for the game and invent characters and a world, as well as writing every bit of text that shows up in the game. Programmers take those ideas and turn them into code, which they tweak over and over again until it works right. Artists and animators illustrate the characters, backgrounds, special effects, and menu screens. Audio engineers, composers, and voice actors make music, sound effects, and voiceovers. Testers play the game over and over again, looking for glitches and ways to make the game more fun.

These disciplines don’t work in isolation, either. Everyone needs to communicate and collaborate to solve problems and put the pieces together. If part of a game is boring, the fix could be in the form of a more engaging story (writing), a more intense challenge (design), cooler special effects (art), a smoother play experience (programming), or something else entirely!

Many games are made by dozens of people working together in departments focused on these disciplines (not to mention the business side of game making: marketing, hiring, project management, and so on). At smaller game studios, each person can wind up wearing half a dozen different hats. Maybe the game designer also writes the story, or the soundtrack composer is also the voice of the main character. A rare few incredibly talented people do every part of the game creation process by themselves! But that kind of solo game development is a long and lonely road that few see to completion.

So You Want To Be A Gamedev

If you want to make games of your own, there’s no need to wait! Making games has never been easier. It’s certainly a lot easier than when I was a kid in the 90s, trying to cobble together my own text adventures in C++! There are tons of resources and advice freely available for aspiring young game designers.

The first step is to start thinking about games. If you’re someone who plays a lot of games, don’t just play them passively! Analyze each part of the game and ask yourself how and why they work. What decisions do you think the game designers made when they were creating the game? There are some excellent YouTube creators who do very accessible game design analysis videos–I particularly recommend The Game Maker’s Toolkit, People Make Games, Extra Credits, and noclip.

If there’s a particular part of game creation that excites you, develop those skills outside of just games! If you want to be a programmer, learn the basics of coding! If you want to write games, write some short stories! If you want to be a game artist, get painting! If you want to be a game designer, get out construction paper and cardboard and make a board game for you and your friends to playtest!

And of course, if you want to try your hand at making games for other people to play, systems like Roblox provide a perfect framework for that. You can build a game quickly and easily, with much of the art and programming backbone already taken care of. Roblox is by far the biggest platform of its kind, but it’s not the only one. If you want to write story games, Twine is a free simple engine for scripting choose-your-own-adventures. If you’re feeling ambitious, RPG Maker and Game Maker are powerful tools that are easy to start on but deep enough to build commercial-scale games (and have been used to do so).

But the most important thing about making games–whether you’re a hobbyist, aspiring developer, or full-time pro — is also the most important thing about playing games: don’t forget to have fun!

Ben “Books” Schwartz is a writer and game designer based in Beijing. They believe that stories and play can change the world.

 

KEEP READING: Screen Time Isn’t All Bad: Lessons to be Mined From Mario, Minecraft and More

Photos: Canva, #WOCinTech, Cindy Marie Jenkins

For many people, November is the buildup to a much more exciting time. The holidays seem right around the corner and everyone wishes to go home. For me, November is a month I both dread and yearn for. Every year either I scramble to remember key dates about a subject I never had heard of before or I comfortably accept my imminent doom and charge ahead with no plan.

Of course, I’m talking about NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, which spans the entire month of November. The goal? To win. And to win, you have to write 50,000 words. That’s 1,667 words per day. It sounds hard— and it is. When I was fourteen I watched a video online about a girl who wrote a book in a month, and although I didn’t participate in NaNoWriMo that year it inspired me to do it the next, which is how I came to write my first book. I showed up on the first of November with my camera, my laptop, and a vague idea for a story. That year I wrote a cross between historical fiction and fantasy, and if I ever have to give anyone my number one writing advice it’s this— don’t write a fantasy novel without planning anything beforehand.

In the NaNoWriMo community, we have three types of people, the planners, the pansters, and the “plansters”. The first one being those who meticulously plan every interaction and the second being those who arrive with pen and paper on the first day and if they’re lucky perhaps the inkling of an idea. I fit right in between as a “planster,” depending on a novel. Typically, I like to focus on historical fiction. It offers me an opportunity to live vicariously through my characters’ lives, allowing me to experience first-hand medieval England or the cold war period in the United States. What you’ll find is fundamentally it doesn’t matter what period of history you’re in, we all face similar issues. In addition, historical fiction allows me to find hidden moments of history. Last year I spent a week looking at brands of Russian ice-cream and even went for a taste test. I was so obsessed with historical accuracy that I listened to over ten different USA radio shows from the ’60s. These slices of history have all been lost to time, and only remain in the few people who lived through this time. Discovering that we share the same struggles and aspirations from over seventy years ago is something I find fundamentally human, and I can immortalize those moments and breathe new life into them through my writing.

The idea of someone fixating on a very niche subject because of something they offhandedly read in a book of mine is something that thrills me.

For my NaNoWriMo preparation, I tend to read history textbooks, watch old radio broadcasts, compile playlists, and print out character sheets. I usually print out a calendar with my target word count for the day. Typically, 1,667 words are needed, however, I tend to shift my writing so that it allows me to skip some days later in the month. That way when I have school assignments due I don’t have to worry about being behind on my word count

Under the pretense of ‘research’, I allow myself to try various foods and talk to unique people, as well as send miscellaneous emails to old library archives or museums. As fun as this sounds, writing historical fiction does have its drawbacks. For one, treading the line between historical accuracy and creative liberty is very hard. It’s easy to either let your imagination take hold and completely make up events and people, as well as places, yet simultaneously be trapped by every single detail from whether the fabric your characters wear or the species of tree in that area is accurate. Understandably this is an issue I struggle with a lot. While I love writing, my love for history is also great, and it’s a conundrum being able to balance the two.

Besides the actual writing, there are two ways I enhance my NaNoWriMo experience. For one, it serves as an excellent time to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people. I started participating in a NaNoWriMo writing group last year, and the stories of the people I meet there could fill books on their own. I’m always fascinated by the quiet English teachers who come up with elaborate mysteries, or the office clerk who’s fascinated by science fiction. Going from an environment with few creatives to one where everyone is brimming with ideas perpetuates the excitement of writing a novel. Not to mention that it’s a great opportunity to make connections and meet like-minded people, such as the one time I got in touch with someone who liked to play an obscure board game I liked.

There’s nothing better than sitting in a room with fellow writers, all in silence, while fingers type away furiously. Sometimes in writing groups, we talk about our novels and give advice, or relate them to our own lives. We set a timer for ten, fifteen minutes, and do word sprints, an activity where you allocate a time and are not allowed to stop writing until the timer goes off.

Another thing I do apart from writing during NaNoWriMo is vlogging my experience. I did this the first year because I wanted to see if I could actually write a novel in a month and vlogging allowed me to be accountable to my promise. I ended up making a fifteen-minute video in which I detailed my progress. The next year, that video turned out to be forty minutes long and three hours of uncut footage! It’s amazing to do this as it allows me to see my growth as a writer in a glaringly obvious way. Looking back at the first video and seeing myself write a fantasy novel with no notion of what fantasy actually is, although painful, serves as a constant reminder of how much I’ve improved and grown as an artist.

Overall, I highly recommend you look into NaNoWriMo. The point isn’t to write a best-selling novel that will outdo J.K Rowling, nor even write something to publish. Sometimes writing is just about exploring your mind and interests, or creating meaningless art that is only meaningful to yourself, and NaNoWriMo allows you to do that alongside some amazing people.

KEEP READING: Write a Novel in Just One Month? Parents Can Do NaNoWriMo Too!

Photos: NaNoWriMo website, Unsplash, and the Author

Andrea is currently in her final year of high school in Beijing, aspiring to study English and journalism in the United Kingdom. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, taking long walks, and binge-watching Netflix.

 

Amélie Wen Zhao grew up in Beijing, and attended the International School of Beijing (ISB). She always dreamed of being a writer, and after moving to New York to work in the financial sector spent years working on her novel Blood Heir. When she was offered a major contract with Penguin Random House, it was a dream come true.

Unfortunately the book made headlines for the wrong reasons, before it was even published. Another author accused Blood Heir of racism, provoking a Twitterstorm. Wen Zhao voluntarily withdrew her novel from publication. However the backlash itself triggered a backlash, as it was apparent that many of those attacking the book had not even read it. The controversy caused soul-searching in the world of Young Adult (YA) fiction, with people asking whether well-meaning attempts to ensure diversity in publishing were actually silencing important voices. Following some thought and some revisions to the text, Wen Zhao is now proudly celebrating the worldwide publication of Blood Heir. She spoke to beijingkids about her writing, and her experience of growing up in Beijing.

Amélie Wen Zhao

Do you have any memorable experiences, related to the literary arts, from your time at ISB? Any faculty members who really inspired, mentored, or advocated for you?
Thanks to my beloved and practical-minded Chinese parents, I was actually on track to study economics/finance for my college years – I knew I had to be able to feed myself and pay my bills first. So, at ISB, I took the IB Diploma with subjects of Higher Level Economics, Higher Level English, and Higher Level Biology; Standard Level Chinese, Math, and Psychology. The courses I enjoyed most were, no doubt, English and Economics (which speaks to the two careers I currently hold in publishing and finance). Michael Green was my economics teacher throughout high school and we are still in touch today; he truly was one of the best teachers of my high school years, and continues to inspire me today with his travel, volunteer work, and involvement with the ISB community. He is organizing a New York alumni reunion early next year, which I look forward to attending.

All of the English teachers that I have studied with were so inspirational to me (in particular, Ms. Cole, Mr. Roberts, and Ms. Carlson), and gave me the foundations to critical thinking, examining work through multiple, global perspectives, and weaving literary devices into writing to drive home important themes through art. English was always my favorite class to attend and I remember always looking forward to the next book we were going to read, and learning about different cultures and histories and current events through them.

How do you think your experience at an international school in Beijing informed your writing?
The international education at ISB was formative to not only my writing, but to my upbringing as a person. The international education is a one-of-a-kind experience with a global-minded student body comprising children and young adults from many places around the world, and that is one of the international community’s greatest assets. As well, the curriculum of international courses and histories is foundational to opening the students’ eyes and minds to many aspects and perspectives of the world. It is thanks to the diverse ecosystem of thought instilled into me at ISB that I continue to seek new cultures to understand and new perspectives to explore. I think that’s what makes me strongest, as both a writer and a human being.

You’ve clearly traveled quite extensively, and have called many places home. How has that formed the person that you are today?
For a long time throughout my childhood and teenage years, I struggled with the notion of fitting in. Growing up straddling multiple countries and cultures, it felt like a constant balancing act – that if I leaned in too heavily in one direction, I would lose other parts of my cultural heritage. In some ways, Blood Heir explores this theme of the “Other” (a concept which I remember learning first from tenth grade English, reading Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala). The protagonist of my book, Anastacya, has a terrifying power to control blood – and each of the characters have their secrets and parts of their identity that they wish to hide.

Blood Heir is about learning to accept that which makes you different. In the same way, I’ve learned to love the strange cultural puzzle that I am as a result of my international upbringing, and I’ve come to view it as a strength of mine instead of something to hide.

Blood Heir is also about royalty, palace intrigue, corruption, and conspiracy. Where did these themes come from? Why did you think it important to explore them?
These were all themes that I read or wanted to read as a teen in high school! When I set out to write Blood Heir, I wanted to write a book that was entertaining, but one that also mattered. And thus, I wove in the scheme of corruption that Anastacya uncovers across her empire: the rings of human trafficking and indentured labor that thrived between the cracks of the laws. These are topics relevant to today’s world as well as my heritage and history that I hadn’t seen explored in young adult literature, and I wanted to introduce something new from my unique perspective as a Chinese woman raised in an international community living in the United States.

Working in the financial sector during the day, where and when do you find the time to write?
It can be hard to find the blocks of time needed to write novels while working in the financial sector. I wrote most of Blood Heir between the hours of 9pm – 1am and during the weekends. It took me three years to write and rewrite, and another two to revise with my editor throughout the publishing process. I thrive on being as productive as I can, and I love perfecting my time management skills to be able to squeeze as much time out of my day as possible!

Can you give us any hints about your next book?
I’m currently contracted to finish writing the Blood Heir Trilogy, but I’ve been sitting on a fantasy story idea that is basically an analogy to my life: a girl, from multiple worlds, trying to find where she fits in and where she’s from. If I do get to write it (fingers crossed!) it’ll be truly special.

Anything else you’d like to share?
I’m truly honored and excited to be featured in a magazine in my home community! I was shy and trying to find out where I fit in throughout high school, and brimming with the basket of dreams and insecurities that come with being a teenager. I hope the children and young adults chasing their dreams in our community won’t give up. Just yesterday, it seems I was writing fantasy stories on my computer at home in Beijing, lost and wondering if I’d ever achieve my dream of being an author; today, my book is being published by Penguin Random House and across eight foreign territories. Dreams do come true.

Interview by Drew Pittock

Photos: www.instagram.com/p/B2UXNcmgjUO/

I have been searching and asking around, because I wanted to find some mommy bloggers who could inspire me. Blogging is a very big part of my job and it does not always come easy. Beijing is filled with great things to blog about, and my family life is a blog in its own. Still I struggle sometimes to pitch blogs, so I decided to make a post about some of the amazing mommy bloggers in Beijing.

Jackie Park

Park is Chinese-Malaysian-Filipina, married to her Korean husband. They have two kids, and Park blogs about family times and the multicultural aspects of her life. Find her fun filled website here.

Vanessa Jencks

Jencks is connecting international families through her China life and stories. She works together with other families and mothers to show us a well rounded picture of what life is like in China. Find her blog here.

Hannah Ryder

She is a mother, diplomat, economist and writer. This woman is the creator of one of the most interesting blogs I have read in a while. This blog is not bedtime reading, but more a 3 cups of espresso and thinking cap reading. Find her life changing stories here.

Dominika Mejia

This mother loves food, and investigating food culture. I have never met a person who is so willing to learn and fun to work with. Her passion for food has a place on the web now, and we are excited to see what she is up to next. Find her work here.

Lise Floris

Mother, writer, singer, eurocrat and student, this woman does it all. She writes about it on her two websites. She has lived abroad since 1998, so her life is blogworthy. Find her stories here, and here.

Picture: Bloggers and Pixabay