【推荐2】By the end of the 2020s, almost a quarter of Japan's population will be over 65. So, to help society deal with an ageing population, a Tokyo company has developed an “Ageing Suit”. As a journalist, I went along to try it out.

The few hours I spent at the “Wonderful Ageing Club” were, it has to be said, rather depressing. I, dressed in the club's “ageing suit”, was transformed rather too quickly from a relatively healthy 36-year-old to an 80-year-old.

First, I had to put on restrictive bindings (捆绑) over my knees, elbows, ankles and feet, which made me unable to move normally. The ladies of the Wonderful Ageing Club, however, were still far from finished. Assuring me that their suit had been carefully designed on the basis of scientific research into the exact effects of ageing, they next applied a pair of special gloves to my hands to make grabbing much more difficult. A number of weights were attached to my body to create the sensation of weakened muscles. A pair of earplugs muffled my hearing and my vision grew rather clouded as a result of my special glasses. This completed an imprisonment in a body more than twice my own age. Now I found myself clumsily getting my way through such newly difficult tasks as sitting down on a chair and then standing up again or opening a can of Coke.

But what is the purpose of this ageing suit? The company claims that it gives a very accurate representation of what being old is really like, and that, when it comes to planning for the future, that experience will be of great value. They hope to see whether the products or services they offer really do meet the needs of the elderly.

【推荐1】In the live-streaming channel of Yang Weiyun, no singing or dancing is performed nor are products sold. Yang teaches pinyin, reading and writing, something that has been most familiar to her for the past 50 years. The difference is her students are mostly adults.

The 73-year-old is an experienced educator. She had been a Chinese teacher in an elementary school for 30 years and a kindergarten head for another 20 years. The rise of short video platforms gave her the idea of continuing her education endeavors through live-streaming online. The retiree opened her live-streaming account in May 2021 and offered free pinyin courses designed for kindergarten pupils about to attend primary schools. However, she gradually learned among her viewers there are a lot of illiterate (文盲的) adults.

Yang said she found many illiterate adults develop a sense of inferiority. They are afraid to go to new places, worried that they couldn’t teach their children or read their boss’s instructions. So she added targeted content to meet their needs. Many illiterate adults didn’t have the chance to go to school when they were young. They are the ones in urgent need of becoming literate.

Considering that most of the adult students are fully occupied, Yang holds two live stream sessions every day starting at 8:30 am and 8:30 pm respectively. Her channel helps those who want to overcome adult illiteracy. Now she has nearly 300,000 followers on the short video platform Douyin.

Zhang Mei is among the students who benefited from Yang’s live stream lessons. She was born and raised in the countryside and had never been to school. She watches Yang’s live streaming whenever there is spare time. Now she can read Chinese characters if they are marked with pinyin and knows how to write her name. She also found a job.

Students each have their own demands, so Yang always prepares her classes carefully after concluding a live streaming session. She tries to figure out what ways the students can learn and remember better, and her biggest wish now is to see these students graduate from her classes.

【推荐2】Kings Camps

Kings Camps is part of the Kings Active Foundation and is devoted to helping young people reach their potential. We provide sports camps and summer camps at over 40 places across the UK for children aged 4-17. We bring together the very best parts of sports and holiday clubs to provide friendship, fun and exciting adventures for young people from the UK and around the world.

※Creative, inspiring camps: We have a strong belief that sport has an important role to play in a happy childhood and our not-for-money state enables us to provide some places and invest in new and creative ways to inspire.

※Learn important life skills: Kings Camps prepare children with important life skills and an understanding that being active is important to health and well-being.

※International students are welcome: We welcome children from outside of the UK who will make friends here by communicating with kids from different backgrounds, but we do require that they at least understand English to make sure of their safety and that of others, and of course their enjoyment.

Ryan has enjoyed every part. When we’ve asked about his day, he’s said it was “amazing and fantastic”. All the staff are extremely friendly, enthusiastic and have a true belief in what they are doing.

— Tracy Lee

Fantastic & friendly staff! It’s an action-packed week of multiple sports. My sweetheart made new friends, overcame swimming fears & came away more confident too! I cannot recommend it enough!

— Kay Court