youths

Temple-goers are often the elderly and it is hard to associate temple culture with the younger generation. But some young people who grew up visiting temples and soaking in its symbols and atmosphere have taken up the mission of passing down this culture. Some of them “saved” temples that were forced to relocate, while others became craftsmen who work on restoring damaged or discarded idols. Yet others collect figurines like artworks. In their own way, each of them is continuing the heritage of temple culture.

The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs has advanced a bill in Congress potentially giving the Biden administration power to ban TikTok in the US. Zaobao’s China Desk weighs up the various opinions discussing the issue.

Taiwanese academic Ho Ming-sho asserts that Taiwan’s show of solidarity with protestors in China’s A4 revolution is better understood under the lens of the history of the island’s pursuit of its own identity. He explains why Taiwan’s civil-society actors chose to react to the protests on universal values, rather than national sentiment.

In the sixth of a seven-part Lianhe Zaobao-Business Times series on China and ASEAN, we look at how brands from China are going international, particularly among Gen Z consumers in Southeast Asia.

American youths today are dealing with more issues and turmoil than their previous generations. US academic Wu Guo believes that the culmination of terrorist attacks, financial crises, social injustice and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have led to a generation that is more politically, socially and environmentally aware. These challenges and experiences could be a path for Americans to connect with the world outside of the US, in particular with China.

Some Chinese academics and international students in the US think that far-left tendencies are going overboard in American universities and even fear the dawning of an “American Cultural Revolution”. Are these fears unfounded? What does the profile of those who hold far-left views and have a mission to champion social justice tell us about the evolution of American society?

While views of China remain largely negative in the West, US academic Zhu Zhiqun finds one bright spot — the young who appear more receptive to alternative views of China. Will their openness help to improve the state of US-China relations?