1 . An immersive and slow-paced Citywalk is becoming trendy across China. In contrast to rushing past overcrowded tourist landmarks, the new trend has emerged as a popular alternative to explore bustling markets, ancient streets, and charming alleys at a leisurely pace.

The appeal of Citywalk caters particularly to the younger generation often caught up in demanding work schedules. As evidenced by the increasing popularity of hash tags like “City walk for vacation” on lifestyle sharing platform Xiaohong shu, with a staggering 465 million views and nearly 464, 600 engagements, the trend is truly capturing unbelievable attention.

Citywalk, or meandering through the urban landscapes, means the act of walking freely along city streets unburdened by exhaustive plans. It offers people an avenue to intimately experience urban culture and local traditions. Citywalk is not merely about sightseeing. It creates an opportunity for social interactions and deep connections with the cities. Citywalk routes are tailored to the specific interests of both out-of-town tourists and locals. For tourists, the focus is on sharing local customs and traditions, while for locals, discussions revolve around the city’s past, present, and future. The growing trend of Citywalk reflects a changing attitude towards life, embracing a warmer, more relaxed, and slower-paced lifestyle.

As Citywalk expands beyond first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, to second-and third-tier cities across the county, it brings fresh opportunities for the tourism industry, in such areas as dining, shopping, and accommodation.

Governments in Beijing and Shandong have recognized the potential of Citywalk, incorporating it into their action plans to promote cultural tourism and leisure activities. In Shanghai, public bus lines specially designed have been introduced to elevate the overall Citywalk for participants.

“By slowing down and delving into the narrow alleys, observing the lives of city residents, and immersing oneself in the context of museums and art galleries, one is entitled to embrace the pleasure of life,” said Luo Jun, a cultural tourism enthusiast.

2 . Smoking, which may be a pleasure for some people, is a series of discomfort for those who live around the smokers. Medical scientists have expressed their concern about the negative effect of smoking. It not only has a bad effect on the health, but also does harm to those who do not smoke at all. As a matter of fact, non-smokers who breathe in the air which has been polluted by tobacco smoke would suffer much more seriously than the smokers themselves.

Therefore, a great number of students are trying to persuade the university to forbid smoking in classrooms as well as around the campus. Actually, they have the reason to believe that they are completely right in their aim. However, I think it much more important for people to achieve this by calling on the smokers to use good judgment and to show concern for people living around them. Smoking not only should be strictly forbidden in the classroom and on the campus, but also it ought to be banned in theaters, cinemas, restaurants and in other public places.

Although many people have died for the related diseases caused by smoking and now lots of work has been done to call on people to give up smoking, yet there still quite a few people, especially the young generation, insist on smoking and neglect what health doctors has warned them every day.

Well, if they continue doing what they like without concerning others’ situation, they will surely be responsible for their deeds.

7 . Lady Gaga, Shawn Mendes, and Karen EIson—these are just a few people who have spoken about their experiences of being victims of bullying (欺凌) at school, and the pain that it has caused them in childhood and later life. Recent research suggests that the effects of childhood bullying can continue for decades, with long-lasting changes that can put us at a greater risk of mental and physical illness.

Undoubtedly, bullying is a serious risk to children’s mental health in the short term, with the most notable consequences: anxiety, depression and suspicious thinking. While some of these symptoms may naturally disappear after the bullying stops, many victims continue to suffer from a higher risk of mental illness.

According to a recent paper in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, a woman who has been bullied as a child is 27 times more likely to have a panic disorder. Among men, childhood bullying resulted in a 18-fold increase in suicide (自杀). Bullying will also have extended consequences for people’s social lives: many victims find it harder to make friends or live with a long-term partner in later life. “Kids who’ve been bullied, might interpret social relationships in a more threatening way,” says Arseneault. Finally, there are the academic and economic costs. Bullying harms people’s grades, which in turn reduces their job prospects.

Arseneault’s research suggests that the resulting stress can influence the body for decades. Analyzing data from a 50-year-long study, she found that frequent bullying between the ages of 7 and 11 was linked to markedly higher levels of inflammation (炎症) at age 45. Importantly, the link remained even after she had controlled many other factors, including their diet, physical activity, and whether they smoked. That’s important, since such inflammation can break down the immune (免疫) system and contributes to the wear and tear on our organs that leads to conditions like cardiovascular (心血管的) disease.

Growing up is rarely going to be easy: children and adolescents are learning to adjust to social relationships, which is always going to come with hurt and upset. But as adults, we should take our responsibility to teach children that certain behaviors are never acceptable: there is no one to blame but the bullies themselves. Such lessons could have a widespread impact on the health and happiness of generations to come.

8 . Kids Do More Sports After Tutoring Ban

China Central Television reported that 33,000 arts and sports stores were launched in just over a month after the government published its “Double Reduction” document in late July.    1    

The government tutoring restriction is supposed to help improve the health of young people. Some China’s school children are short-sighted and nearly one in five between the ages of 6-17 is overweight or obese, National Health Commission data show.     2     The government has also promised to “gradually increase” the score of sports in the senior high school entrance exam.

Schools are taking action to provide a variety of PE classes and clubs for children. Some schools are providing ice and snow sports optional courses for students.     3     Every Wednesday afternoon children wearing boxing gloves and shin guards sweat in the club as they punch and kick pads held by teachers in a school in east Beijing. It has been teaching children martial arts such as Thai boxing since 2018. Now it has provided regular classes such as wrestling, swimming and skating.

    4     Sitting on a couch in the reception area in a public park, Mr. Liu waits for her seven-year-old son when his son is playing basketball with classmates. A 39-year-old mother, who accompanies her son to the park nearby jogging every Sunday after his son finishes homework shortly after the company that provided his math tuition was shut down. “My son and I can jog three times a week unless he’s sick.” she said. And she thinks it is beneficial to their health and gives her more time to communicate with her child.

Parents hold positive attitudes towards the new policy. China’s Tiger moms used to find classes after school to give our children an advantage in the intensely competitive education.     5     They believe children can’t be too weak if the nation has a strong desire to be strong. Children will be more and more strong both physically and mentally to adapt to their future study and career.

9 . Japan recently lowered its voting age from 20 to 18. This decision was in part to help young people feel more engaged in politics. But it may also signal the change of social views regarding the beginning of adulthood.

Adulthood has traditionally been defined by a combination of age and the achievement of social milestones. Most countries have a legally defined age to determine when a person becomes an adult---the age of majority. In Australia, most states consider a person to be an adult in court at 18. The age of 18 is also consistent with other adult privileges, such as the right to purchase alcohol and to marry. However, 17-year-olds can serve in the army and get a driver’s license. The law defines adulthood on the basis of age and it also recognizes the process of becoming an adult as involving gradually in social responsibility. This legal approach to adulthood is mirrored in other countries, where there are differences between the age of majority and social responsibilities given to young people.

Socially, determinants of adulthood traditionally focus on a person taking increasing responsibility for their lives in various ways. Completing school, taking full-time employment, getting married and parenthood---these are all observable indicators to determine when a person is viewed as an adult.

Since the 1980s, however, people have achieved some of these observable milestones at later ages. Increased access to education has delayed young people leaving home and develop romantic relationships. Economic changes have also resulted in unstable employment markets and increases in costs of living, prompting many young people to remain at home and depended on parents.

Due to these social changes, our expectations of young people and their level of social responsibility have also changed. The recognition of a new life stage---emerging adulthood---has been recommended to account for the changes to social milestones that have traditionally represented adulthood.