3 . The Rise of “China-chic”

Over past years, guochao, or “China-chic” has been gaining popularity among Chinese consumers. Guochao conveys the cultural heritage and values of China.     1    . “China-chic” is rising, but what is it?

The idea of guochao was first borrowed from some international brands, and began to win over Chinese consumers in 2015.     2    . In 2018, Chinese sportswear band Li-Ning presented its Wu Dao (the principles of Taoism) collection at the New York Fashion Week. It featured bright red color and Chinese characters. More brands have since followed, heralding (预示) the early period of guochao.

    3    . This was a period when applications of big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and 5G technology hit the market one after another. Domestic tech companies such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and DJI made headlines.

In its third stage, guochao became more common in everyday life. Over the past decade, guochao has expanded from consumer goods to experiential products. As consumers are showing greater interest in cultural identity and creativity, productions like the TV program National Treasure, and the dance show Night Banquet in Tang Dynasty Palace integrate cultural and historical elements with the latest audio-visual technologies.     4    .

Nowadays, guochao is moving to the next stage. No matter how the trend evolves, Chinese people’s positive attitude toward the country’s development and their recognition of and growing confidence in national culture won’t change.     5    . Seen from a broader perspective, guochao mirrors the rise of China, a country eager to make its presence felt globally. Guochao is a style, but more importantly, it transmits culture and values.

5 . For one overseas student who has been in China for over a decade, learning the moves and culture associated with Chinese martial arts(武术) has been his most valuable experience.

So uley mane Hima Oumarou, a Nigerien student at Hebei University in Baoding, Hebei province, first came to the university in 2012 as an undergraduate, not only for an education, but also to achieve his dream of learning the Chinese martial art of kung fu. He became a fan of kung fu after watching movies starring famous martial artists such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

During his studies in Baoding, Oumarou joined the university’s martial arts association and studied under Duan Shuxing, one of the association’s instructors. Following Duan’s instructions, Oumarou began to practice basic moves in 2015, including Eight Extremities Fist, or bajiquan, as well as the associated art of tai chi.

“Learning martial arts has not been easy because I was not young when I started,” the 36-yea--old said, adding that he was forced to overcome difficulties and make more of an effort to learn more advanced moves.

As far as his instructor is concerned, Oumarou is hardworking and energetic. “He always trains hard and has made great progress in the past seven years,” Duan said.

So far, Oumarou has mastered multiple boxing techniques and knows how to use many traditional Chinese weapons.

Apart from the skills he’s learned, martial arts have brought him more. He has made many Chinese friends through learning kung fu and has been to many places around China to participate in competitions.

Oumarou is now a doctoral student and is expected to graduate this year. In the future, he plans to open a kung fu center in Niger after he graduates, and to become an instructor and teach youngsters martial arts. He thinks that will also help him better understand the spirit of martial arts, and also become a cultural communicator between China and Niger.

6 . In order to kill time, many people have been trying to cope with the boredom by reading books, others have perfected their cooking skills and many others have tried their hands at craft projects, including tie dyeing (扎染).

Whether you think tie-dye is totally stylish or not your style, the unique print from the 1960s is back in a major way. It’s become a hot fashion trend.

“The last several years have seen the resurgence in craftsmanship and handmade goods, popularizing the hobbies in the 1960s (weaving, tie-dyeing), but in a modern way. People would connect with these handmade objects to feel connected to nature,” Stitch Fix color expert Ryen Anderson said to Today. Online searches for “how to crumple (压皱) tie-dye”, a popular technique, are u by 376 percent on Pinterest.

This homestyle creation can easily be made at home. The only things we need to prepare include fabric. light-colored clothes, dye, rubber, and water. In tie-dye, the fabric is colored by tying several parts of the fabric before dying to give certain color effects. While this seems relatively simple, it takes multiple steps and washes.

Some people make tie-dye adjust old-fabrics in an innovative way. Some others use tie-dye technique to create a new pattern as the color of their clothes fades. The typical current trend is that people use natural coloring for tie-dye and combine it with doodles (涂鸦) and natural printing ( eco-printing) by abstracting colors from the leaves.

The dyeing technique has deep roots from Africa. Many immigrants from various African countries brought their skills to the United States during the 1700s to 1800s. The popularity of tie-dye then was quite influential in the 1960s or commonly referred to as “flower power” generation. Tie-dye became a symbol in that times.

7 . Speaking of celebration, festivals have a lot to offer. Here we uncover some festivals across the globe.

Holi Festival — India — February — March

A rainbow of colour and Hindu traditions combine to create this celebration of love, springtime fun and the victory of good over evil. Kicking off with a night-time bonfire where people gather, sing and dance, the next day is a carnival of colors where everyone has fun throwing color powder, squirting water guns and coloured water-filled balloons. A great number of people are infected by its playful and childlike atmosphere.

La Tomatina — Buñol, Spain — August

Tomato fiends get their fill on the last Wednesday of August as over 100,000 kg of tomatoes are thrown and squished in the town square. It’s the highlight of a week-long celebration of Buñol’s patron saint, which leaves the town in a bright red like a horror film scene. We don’t envy whoever has to clean up that mess!

Dia De Los Muertos — Mexico — October — November

Translated to “Day of the Dead”, this seemingly scary festival is a day to celebrate and remember those who have passed away with parades, costumes and paper decorations. It is believed that the spirits of the dead visit their families on October 31 and leave on November 2, so many spend this time visiting cemeteries — where there is often music and dances to honour the spirits.

9 . If you have a chance to talk with a historical figure, who would you like it to be? What would you like to know about the past or share from today? China in the Classics, a new TV show based on Chinese classics started by China Central Television (CCTV) in February, is exploring such possibilities.

In the first episode, the host of the show, Sa Beining, meets ancient Confucian scholar Fu Sheng, who interpreted Shangshu — The Book of Documents. Regarded as one of the five classics of ancient Chinese Confucianism masterpieces, the book records many firsts in the country. Even the expression zhongguo (China) is used there first.

The episode ends with the host bringing Fu to today’s modern society, where the scholar is happy to find children learning the same things he had learned in his childhood. It increased the rating of the series with viewers giving it 9 out of 10 on Douban, a film and TV show reviewing website popular among young people.

The success of China in the Classics doesn’t surprise Shen Haixiong, head of the China Media Group. Shen said in an article in the journal Qiushi, “We are happy to see the program is popular among the public, but we are prouder to find that innovative interpretation of Chinese classics is arousing young people’s interest in Chinese culture.”

Therefore, TV channels have been making bold attempts in recent years to attract today’s younger generations. The Nation’s Greatest Treasures, CCTV’s cultural show in 2017, showcased China’s history and culture through antiques in the top-class museums, and fired up the audience. The treasures include the 3,300-year-old Yinxu Ruins in Henan Province and the 1,300-year-old Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region.

CCTV should make a variety of programs showcasing classics and cultural traditions to appeal to the young generation’s aesthetics, said Zhou, a professor at the School of Arts and Communication, Beijing Normal University.

10 . "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," said Jo disappointedly.

"It's so awful to be poor!" agreed Meg, looking at her old dress.

"It's not right for some girls to have pretty things, and others to have nothing at all," said little Amy.

"We've got Father and Mother, and each other," said Beth gently.

The four young faces round the fire cheered up as they thought of this, but then Jo said sadly, "We haven't got Father, and we won't have him for a long time." She didn't say "perhaps never", but each silently thought it, remembering that he was away at the war in the South.

Then Meg said, "Mother says we shouldn't spend money on presents when our men are fighting a war."

"We can't expect anything from Mother or each other," said Jo, "but we only have a dollar each. Let's each buy ourselves what we want and have a little fun. We work hard to earn it."

"I do, teaching those awful children," said Meg.

"What about me?" said Jo. "I'm shut up all day working for a terrible old lady, who gives me different orders every five seconds!"

"I think washing cups and plates and keeping things tidy is the worst work in the world," said Beth. "My hands get too tired to play my music."

"I have to go to school with girls who laugh at my dresses and say cruel things because my father isn't rich," said Amy.

Meg was sixteen and very pretty, with large eyes and soft brown hair, and white hands. Fifteen-year-old Jo was very tall and thin. Beth was thirteen, a very shy girl who seemed to live in a happy world of her own. Amy was the youngest but thought herself to be the most important.

At six o'clock, Beth put a pair of slippers by the fire to warm and Meg lit the lamp.

“These are old," Jo said. "Mother needs a new pair.”

“I'll get her some," said Beth. "No, I shall!" cried Amy. "I'm the oldest!" began Meg. “I'm the man of the family now. Father is away, and I shall buy them," said Jo. "Let's each get her something and not get anything for ourselves," said Beth. "That's a kind idea!" said Jo.