Youths

[Big read] Why Chinese gamers pay African youths to play for them

Chinese-run studios across Africa employ young workers to grind the game — do repetitive tasks to gain in-game currency — turning play into digital labour and exposing the opportunities and tensions behind the business. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lim Zhan Ting finds out more.

Lim Zhan Ting

29 Jul 2026

[Big read] Shopping over politics: How Chinese goods are winning over South Koreans 

South Koreans youths are embracing Chinese brands — from bubble tea and electric cars to robot vacuums — separating politics from life products. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Kang Gwiyoung finds out why and if this could lead to improved China-South Korea relations.

Kang Gwiyoung

27 Jul 2026

Why young Americans are turning against AI

Young people in the US and elsewhere are showing their dislike for and even hostility towards AI. US researcher Benjamin Lira Luttges analyses the factors involved.

Benjamin Lira Luttges

24 Jul 2026

[Big read] Why Malaysian youths are choosing mainland China over Taiwan for degrees

For generations, a Taiwan degree meant upward mobility for Malaysian Chinese. Today, a rising China and evolving local options are changing where students choose to carve out their futures. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tan Jet Min reports.

Tan Jet Min

03 Jun 2026

Beyond trade: The human ties reshaping Indonesia-China relations

Beyond Chinese infrastructural investment or resources extraction in Indonesia, the web of exchanges formed from building mobility, education and institutional links could help to foster a more holistic approach to building bilateral relations and make them stronger, says analyst Kevin Zongzhe Li.

Kevin Zongzhe Li

28 Apr 2026

Nepal’s new guard: How Gen Z fuelled a political sea change

In an unforeseen political upheaval for Nepal that saw the Rashtriya Swatantra Party win the largest political mandate in modern history, academic Rishi Gupta explores why Balen Shah and his party struck a chord across age groups, and how the new government plans to do a balancing act between India and China.

Rishi Gupta

02 Apr 2026

Miniso: In the business of joy and emotional connections

From adopting a “glocal” strategy, to crafting a “cultural retail” model, Miniso is taking the world by storm, with Singapore as a springboard. Lianhe Zaobao senior writer Lee Kuo Ai speaks with Miniso’s chief marketing officer, Robin Liu, to find out how the company looks to build brand awareness across borders, even amid US-China trade tensions.

Lee Kuo Ai

29 Dec 2025

VTubers: China’s youth find comfort in virtual idols

In today’s China, young people live under immense academic and economic pressures, navigating precarious jobs and chronic self-doubt, while family communication often struggles to keep pace with these realities. Lianhe Zaobao visual journalist Fio Zhang explores how digital avatars reshape emotional connections, generational dialogue and companionship.

Fio Zhang

28 Nov 2025

[Video] Boys’ Love in China: From fan fiction to cultural soft power

Once a niche subculture, China’s danmei (耽美), or Boys’ Love fiction, has grown into a global phenomenon adored by millions of young women. But after a wave of crackdowns and tighter online controls, questions are rising over danmei’s future, both within China and as a vehicle of global soft power.

Yi Jina

14 Nov 2025

Censored but unstoppable: How male desire and grievances go viral in China

Chinese authorities have set out another campaign to stamp out online negativity, now with the men from the lower rungs of society its target. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zhang Guanghui takes a look at why talk of “Android”, “Apple”, “sexual repression” and “ligong (力工) show hand” has come under the authorities’ cross hairs.

Zhang Guanghui

06 Nov 2025

Red banners and tea ceremonies: Inside the world of a Chinese wedding planner in Singapore

Despite Western influences, many young Singaporean couples choose to incorporate traditional Chinese customs into their wedding. Lianhe Zaobao senior correspondent Lee Geok Hoon speaks with Jenny Zheng, who has borne witness to marital unions in Singapore for the past 27 years. Beyond her role as a shopkeeper of wedding paraphernalia, Zheng is a guardian to this cultural heritage.

Lee Geok Hoon

17 Oct 2025

Nepal’s youth lead change as India and China watch closely

After the fall of the KP Sharma Oli government following Gen Z protests, Nepal continues to deal with political instability under the interim government. In foreign policy, key neighbours India and China will have to contend with this changed landscape and cash in on how much (or how little) they have put effort into bringing Nepali youth to their side. Researcher Rishi Gupta gives his take on the matter.

Rishi Gupta

01 Oct 2025