Society

In China, some people — mostly young people — are choosing to deposit their money in out-of-town banks, making long journeys to take advantage of varying interest rates between cities. Is this another whim and fancy of the younger generation or a measure done out of desperation to generate more savings? Zaobao’s China Desk looks into the phenomenon.

Even as young people are struggling to find jobs amid high unemployment and a tough economy, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on them to “actively seek hardship”. Such messaging is made in the spirit of self-motivation and self-improvement, but is it a long-term solution to address the confusion and anxiety among young Chinese people? Zaobao correspondent Edwin Ong finds out.

Over the past decade or so, Thailand has come up with its own remakes of popular shows from overseas, from Chinese and Korean dramas to Taiwanese idol series. Producers have learnt that they need to inject their own uniqueness to the remade dramas to find an audience, including the large Chinese market. In recent years, Thailand’s own brand of “boys’ love” or BL dramas have even found favour with many of the source markets of its remade dramas. Zaobao correspondent Wang Yingmin talks to production companies and viewers to understand the pull of Thai TV series.

With China resuming outbound travel, Chinese tourists are on the move again. And with the wave of people, comes the resurgence of “zero-fare” tour groups — particularly in Thailand — that promise low-budget options. However, tourists are only brought to specific spots to spend money, which eventually goes back to Chinese operators without benefiting the local economy.

While Taiwan is known for its food and scenery, it is also notorious for its dangerous roads. A series of recent accidents has brought the problem into the spotlight. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Woon Wei Jong looks into Taiwan’s road safety issue and what can be done to improve it.

Singapore has become a top choice for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) to live in because of its pro-business environment, transparent system, as well as a stable and harmonious society. With increasing numbers of HNWIs immigrating here, many people are curious and concerned about who they are and how HNWIs are contributing to local society and communities. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Wang Hwee Wen interviews HNWIs from China and Bangladesh to find out about their new lives in Singapore.

In the 200 years of Singapore’s history from 1819, the ethnic Chinese in Singapore have lived with diversity, both among themselves and within the larger Singapore community. Eddie Kuo, Emeritus Professor at NTU, traces the evolution of the Chinese Singaporean identity. This is a concept that has seen many iterations, from “guests in a foreign land” to the “overseas Chinese”, "ethnic Chinese" and “Chinese Singaporeans”.

On top of the multiple stressors that Chinese youths struggle with in their daily lives — from the bleak economic outlook to poor employment prospects and the financial blow caused by the pandemic — annoying relatives are getting the boot. Lianhe Zaobao China Desk looks into why young people are no longer tolerating toxic familial relationships and if this is an inevitable trend of modernisation.

Are women in China getting more conscious about their body image? Or is the clothing industry part of the problem as it makes smaller-sized clothes that could even fit children? Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk looks into the trend in clothes manufacturing and its impact on Chinese women’s body image.