1 . While English is getting more important in our schools, Chinese has become popular among foreign kids. But Chinese can be more difficult to learn. At least 16-year-old Piao Chenglong thinks so. “English is easier for me. Chinese characters (汉字) have too many strokes (笔画),” said Piao. “But I want to learn it. I want to study at Beijing University when I grow up.” Piao is from Korea. He came to China in 2008.

In Korea, there are more than 300, 000 Chinese learners like Piao. Some Korean students begin to learn to write the language on their first day at school. To help students learn Chinese, Korea holds speaking competitions for high school students every year.

Chinese isn’t just popular in Korea. People from all the world want to learn it. The Ministry of Education of China says that nearly 130 million people from 85 countries are learning Chinese. This number will be increasing to 800 million in the coming years.

In America, Chinese is the second most popular foreign language after Spanish. Some American middle schools have Chinese classes. Students learn to make jiaozi and tie Chinese knots (中国结). Some even try to write and draw in the Chinese way!

People want to learn Chinese because China is becoming such an important country. Foreign countries want to understand China better to help them with business. The Chinese government is also helping the world learn Chinese. It has sent more than 200 Chinese teachers to more than 60 countries in the world. Many more Confucius Institutes (孔子学院) will be set up in the world. These institutes will teach Chinese to foreign students.

4 . Pang Hui placed a few more pairs of chopsticks on the table for a family dinner, though she did not expect her big family of seven would use them as serving chopsticks.

Surprisingly, her 75-year-old father, who used to shrug off the idea of serving chopsticks, became a firm supporter this time, said Pang, 40, from Beihai, a coastal city of South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Chinese people often share dishes, and diners use their own chopsticks to serve themselves food from the shared dishes, a tradition now being challenged by the outbreak of COVID-19.

“We feel a sense of crisis as well as the urge to desert our old habits when we see reports of family infections,” Pang said, pointing to the reports of the virus spreading via droplets and close contact.

Local governments are helping to encourage a shift, too. On Feb.13, 2020, local authorities of Beihai started a campaign promoting serving chopsticks and spoons, which will avoid cross-infection caused by the use of personal chopsticks.

Similar measures were also adopted in other cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Taizhou city in East China’s Jiangsu Province even standardized the colors of serving chopsticks and spoons to help diners differentiate (区分) them from personal ones.

The practice of eating wild animals has been targeted by the government, which remains present in certain areas.

China stopped the illegal trading and transportation of wild animals shortly after the outbreak. The move became a permanent ban on Feb.2, 2020, when the country made a decision on thoroughly prohibiting (禁止) the illegal trading of wildlife and the consumption of wild animals.

Li Bo, with the Hainan International Center for Wildlife Protection, said wild animal consumption could lead to the faster extinction of particular species, damage the ecological balance and harm people’s health.

“The epidemic (流行病) could become a turning point to eliminate the bad habit.” Li said.

5 . “Girls are weak, and boys are strong. This is what is being subconsciously communicated to hundreds of millions of young boys and girls all over the world, just like it was with me,” said American actor Justin Baldoni. As a boy, all he wanted was to be accepted by other people. That acceptance meant he had to pretend to be strong when he was weak, confident when he felt insecure, and tough when he was actually hurting.

Is that a healthy lifestyle? A member of the CPPCC Standing Committee might say “yes”. In his proposal, he spoke of a need to “prevent the feminization of male youths”. In response to his call, China’s Ministry of Education has recently demanded that schools should hire more physical education teachers and improve teaching methods to cultivate masculinity in students.

The response has been widely debated online, with many people saying that it reinforces gender stereotypes. The state broadcaster CCTV wrote on its Weibo account, “Education is not simply about cultivating men and women. It’s more important to develop a willingness to take responsibility.” You might be wondering now: What is masculinity, and why is this so controversial?

Well, by itself, “masculinity” refers to the qualities traditionally considered to be typical of men. While there is not really a single “correct” set of qualities, the term is often associated with strength, courage, assertiveness, and emotional control. Sometimes, however, these seemingly admirable qualities can be extended in unrealistic ways. But boys are also human. Blindly asking them to control their feelings “like a man” can only increase their stress when they grow up.

As an educator who has spent years teaching in China, I agree that attaching more importance to physical education would definitely benefit students. Sports provide opportunities for physical fitness. More importantly, they can help develop lifelong skills, such as leadership and communication skills. However, putting the emphasis on masculinity is far from a sound reason for which to do so.

It is unnecessary for all boys to build up their muscles, but it is essential that they all learn how to be strong inside. It is also fine for boys to cry and to show their weakness. Schools should work on equipping students with the skills and values they will need to be successful in life, not reinforcing stereotypes of masculinity borrowed from a bygone age.

8 . They are drawing the attention of the world. They bear the responsibility to shape our future. Who are they? They are the young generation who were born after 2000.

This year, several young athletes have shone brightly at the Beijing Winter Olympics, giving the public a glimpse of their generation’s nature.

Obviously, the young generation is filled with “brave warriors” who want to challenge impossibilities and push boundaries. Freestyle skier Gu Ailing is a good example. After she finished strong in the first two jumps in the women’s freeski big air event, it was certain that she could get a medal. But instead of playing it safe, the 18-year-old skier pushed herself to the limit. On the last jump, Gu decided to attempt a difficult trick: a left double cork 1620—four and a half rotations in the air—before landing.

“I have never done the ‘left 16’ before,” Gu told China Daily, “but I felt it was a chance to push myself to the limit.”

For the young athletes, the sport is never just about scores, but also about having as much fun as possible.

Born in the US, Gu faced criticism and doubts for representing China in the Beijing Winter Olympics. When questioned by The Guardian at a news conference on Feb. 8, the “post-00” said boldly that she wasn’t trying to make everyone happy. “I’m an 18-year-old girl out here living my best life. I’m having a great time,’’ Gu said. “It doesn’t really matter if other people are happy or not, because I feel I’m doing my best and I’m enjoying the entire process.”

Gu’s good friend, Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming also shares a similar attitude. He takes sports as a way to have fun.

After he was judged to have lost the gold to Canadian athlete Max Parrot in the men’s slope-style final, the 17-year-old didn’t feel upset. Instead, he was happy to have the chance to compete with his idol.

“When I was on the podium hugging Max Parrot, it felt unreal,” Su told China Daily. “All I did today was enjoying the runs and concentrating on my tricks. As long as I am on my snowboard I am happy.”

This is young generation that dares to push the limits but also enjoys life.

9 . Sun Ruifeng, a mother in Beijing, changed some of her plans for her 8-year-old son’s summer vacation. She looked for an English tutoring course, but in the end, she changed it to a swimming training class. “Due to the stricter regulations (章程) on subject-tutoring classes, many parents like me choose sports or other projects for developing interests instead,” Sun said.

Sun’s choice is part of the result of the government’s growing efforts to lighten the academic pressure on young students. On July 24, Chinese authorities introduced a guideline to ease the burden of too much homework and off-campus tutoring for primary and junior high school students. It lists requirements in areas such as reducing the amount and the difficulty of homework and improving the quality of education and after-class services provided by schools. For example, homework for children below the third grade is not allowed, while homework for junior high school students should take no longer than 90 minutes to finish.

According to the guideline, tutoring institutions (辅导机构) cannot teach students content that is too advanced for the school curriculum (课程). No tutoring courses can be taught on weekends, national holidays or during winter and summer vacations. The moves aim to bring education back as public welfare and guide the educational training industry to focus on improving students’ all-round quality, Chen Xianzhe, a professor at South China Normal University, told Xinhua.

According to Global Times, more than 75 percent of Chinese urban children, from grade 1 to grade 12, are enrolled (报名参加) in tutoring programs. However, some training institutions take part in anxiety marketing, selling unnecessary programs that increase the burden on students. This has led to many social problems such as students’ falling levels of physical fitness, more mental health problems and huge family costs, said Chu Zhaohui, a senior researcher with the National Institute of Education Sciences.

Many parents showed their support for the new moves. “Subject learning is enough at school and we hope to improve the children’s overall quality of life during holidays,” a parent in Guangzhou told Xinhua. However, there are also some concerns. Another parent in Shanxi said that although she agreed with the new moves, she worried about what her son would do after school if both parents have no time to be with him.

According to the guideline, primary and middle schools are asked to offer after school services, including homework tutoring, sports, arts, reading and interest groups.