Trending in Beijing: New Issue of Banknotes, Sleep-Deprived Students, and Unisex Blazers

The fun, the strange, and the what-on-earth-is-this: a wrap-up of top stories in Beijing as told by the trending hashtags, local press, and general power of the internet.
 

Sexy new banknotes due to be issued end of August

A new edition of a fresh and crispy renminbi is coming at the end of August. China People’s Bank is set to releasing the fifth issue of those bills – which will include notes of 1, 10, 20, and 50 renminbi along with coins of 50 jiao – on Aug 30. The new set of notes are much more brightly colored than in the past, and even the coins are getting an upgrade: the 50 jiao coin, which is currently gold, will henceforth be silver. 

Netizens, on the whole, are not too impressed with the change. “What is up with the colors? It’s getting more and more similar to the Tiandi banknotes” wrote one, referring to the paper money burned in China to honor the dead. Another commenter took a different approach, writing: “[It] doesn’t matter what your new color is. I will still love you.” #woke.

Others still questioned why the central bank was bothering to print new money at all, given how ubiquitous mobile payment has become. Follow all the chatter under #第五套人民币来了# (the fifth edition of RMB is here).
 

Students are not getting enough shut-eye

During a conference held on Apr 29 in Beijing, the National Healthcare Commission introduced the results of a survey on child and adolescent myopia. The survey was conducted to find the main causes of nearsightedness in children and young adults, and the findings were alarming: 67 percent of children surveyed spend less than 2 hours per day doing outdoor activities, and 29 percent spend less than an hour. 

When presented the news, the internet did what the internet does best: memes. However, the main take away for netizens seems to be a lack of sleep among students. According to the Health Care Commission, 73 percent of pupils consistently not get the minimum number of recommended hours of sleep per night. It is difficult to tell whether the cause of this sleep debt is due to extracurricular activities and homework or video games.

Netizens pointed out that the problem is hardly confined to students and adolescents: “what group of people in China do get enough sleep?” asked one user. Another noted: “if you sleep enough, you don’t pass the exams”. Netizens are complaining about lack of sleep under #超七成学生睡眠时间不达标#  (more than 70 percent of students don't get enough sleep).
 

Chinese women are donning unisex blazers

Women all around China are uploading pictures of themselves wearing unisex suit blazers, following a trending hashtag and celebrity examples. The trend appears to have been started by fashion blogger Mai Mai Jun (买买菌), and the hashtag #无性别西装# (unisex blazers) which began on Apr 29 now has almost 300 million readers. The unisex suit is also sometimes referred to as a "power suit," a term that dates back to the '70s and refers to women dressing in traditionally masculine styles in order to assert their authority in historically male-dominated domains such as business and politics. 

The start of the movement may also be traced back to the Chinese TV show All is Well (Youku), in which female protagonist Su Mingyu (played by Yao Chen) is often seen wearing such suit jackets as she confronts the deep-rooted gender issues in contemporary society. Users are uploading their favorite pictures in the comments and using the commonly male-reserved adjective 帅 (handsome) to praise the women wearing these "power suits."

The trend has picked up online among regular users, amongst celebrities, and even in street fashion. According to Alibaba 2019 China Fashion Data report, "suits" was a top search word amongst female shoppers.

READ: Beijing vs. Shanghai? We Won't Be Drawn on This Issue

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Images: Weibo