NOT EASY BEING BLUE

How Teens in China and Abroad Can Deal With Mental Health

By Alistair Baker-Brian

Life isn’t always easy for teens in modern-day China. Academic expectations, coupled with pressure to fit in among peers, can mean many young people in the Middle Kingdom face a whole host of mental health challenges.

Beijing-based mental health NGO CandleX has come up with a way for teens to deal with such challenges. The Teen’s Open Letter allows teens to, as suggested by the name, write a letter which openly talks about their own experience in battling mental health.

CandleX founder Xiaojie Qin tells That’s that in the organization’s early days, some teenagers would use some of the services offered by the NGO. The organization would deal with Chinese students studying abroad, as well as international school students studying in China.

She says that the mental health challenges faced by teens were somewhat unique compared to those of the adults which used CandleX services, adding that she admired the courage of the teens to speak up about their problems.

“We believe writing and seeing your articles published is an incredibly empowering experience”

The Teen’s Open Letter was officially launched in February 2020. What started as a column entitled My Story with Depression eventually became a means for teenagers to voice their experiences regarding mental health.

As China was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, offline activities were not permitted. However, participants were still able to write.

Alison Qiu is the facilitator of the CandleX teen’s support group. She writes that having previously written for CandleX about her mental health struggles, she understands the “therapeutic process” of writing about your own experiences.

“We believe writing and seeing your articles published is an incredibly empowering experience, and I can attest to this,” writes Qiu.

Participants write two to three pages about a topic related to mental health. This includes the feelings, experiences and perspectives of the participant. Previous letters have covered eating disorders, bullying, academic pressure and more.

Written pieces can also include experiences of assisting a friend or family member experiencing mental health problems.

That’s spoke to Lily, who requested we only use her first name, a participant in the Teen’s Open Letter activity. She wrote about her experience of depression during her time in high school in the United States.

She recalls her feelings after first arriving in the US from her native China at age 13:

“At first, I was super excited. But as soon as I landed, I didn’t know what to do at all. It was very hard to seek help. English is my second language, which made it even more difficult.”

Lily says that her homestay family was very welcoming and that she managed to make some friends during her freshman year of high school.

However, it was towards the end of freshman year when the depression really kicked in. Lily wrote in her letter that she felt she had barely achieved anything after a year of high school. She was worried her parents would be disappointed in her.

She also says many people didn’t believe she was depressed.

“A lot of my American friends could not understand why I might think my parents

would be disappointed with me. They would just say that I was very lucky to have the chance to study abroad. My friends in China would say, ‘you’re such an outgoing person. You can easily make friends.’ They also could not understand why I would be depressed.”

It was at this point that LiIy sought help from CandleX and began partaking in the Teen’s Open Letter.

In addition to writing about their own experiences, participants also have the chance to interview adults affected by mental health. This could include members of the CandleX adult support group, founders and directors of community entities, etc.

In August, Lily interviewed a recovered alcoholic and volunteer with Beijing’s Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group. She asked the interviewee about how alcoholism affected his mental health, as well as other areas of his life, and how he sought help to become sober.

As of press time, Lily is studying at a college

in London where she is staying in college dorms. Undoubtedly, she will be well-prepared should she experience any mental health difficulties.

The Teen’s Open Letter is perhaps representative of an ongoing change in China. There have been a number of signs that mental health problems faced by young people are being taken ever more seriously by key figures in Chinese society.

As part of this year’s Two Sessions, professor Zhang Zhiyong of the China Education Policy Research Institute of Beijing Normal University spoke about how schools could better deal with mental health problems.

Zhang’s proposals included ensuring at least one mental health professional for every 500 primary and middle school students, including mental health as part of nationwide education, integrating discussions about mental health with parent-teacher meetings and more.

Depression is estimated to affect around 90 million people in China, 90 percent of whom do not receive effective treatment, according to China Daily.

With this in mind, raising awareness about mental health from an early age is probably a smart move. The mental health of

Chinese students abroad has also caught nationwide attention. Chinese media has reported on several high-profile suicide cases of overseas students burdened by academic pressure, cultural and language differences, the expectation to help other family members settle abroad and more.

Awareness from an earlier age on how to deal with such issues may have saved the aforementioned students.

Only time will tell whether there are long-term changes in how China deals with mental health among young people.

Regardless of the longerterm picture, CandleX’s Teen’s Open Letter will be there for those who want to tell their own mental health story and hear the stories of others.

& ARTS LIFE

@_once_upon_this_life_

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Overheard P14 Top Coats P16

KIRBY JOHN CARNEY

Musician

Interview by Joshua Cawthorpe

Kirby John Carney arrived in China with nothing short of frenetic ambition. A London native, Carney grew up in Sitges, a town 35 kilometers southwest of Barcelona, Spain. At 15, he began learning to play guitar and soon joined House Arrest Barcelona. In 2016, searching for independence and adventure, Carney moved to China. He has since taken up the bass guitar and is currently a member of three bands which perform in Guangzhou. He shares with us a glimpse into the live music scene of the Middle Kingdom.

What is the live music scene like in Guangzhou and how does it compare to other cities in China? There are a bunch of cool livehouses and clubs that I recommend people seek out. In Guangzhou, for example, Aoyin Livehouse, Mao Livehouse and a new location of T-Union are popular and fun. Also, SD Livehouse had some really fun moshpits. Other big cities have full-blown music festivals which I believe to be a sign of an active music scene.

Can you tell us about the bands in which you are currently a member? I am the bass player and secondary singer in three bands at the moment. The first is Underground which mainly play British songs and softer rock tunes along with a few pop tracks. I occasionally play and sing with a band that plays exclusively reggae, Dub Y. The third band is Palm Treo which is one gig into their career and which will end up being mostly original music.

What is the demographic of live music enthusiasts that you have observed? Primarily Chinese nationals show up at shows. It does depend on the venue but if you play a Western venue like The Happy Monk, for example, you will get more

“That song got one of the loudest reactions I’ve ever heard at a music show”

expats. If you play Aoyin Live House you will get a younger Chinese crowd who are into punk, alternative rock and heavier stuff. It all depends on the venue.

Can you describe your favourite live music experience in China? Either as a spectator or a performer. I went to see Foster The People in 2018 and I got an almost perfect picture of the lead singer standing on the railing of the crowd doing a cool pose. Another was going to see Gang of Four at Mao Livehouse, they were a punk band from the late 70’s and I had been waiting 15 years to see them. As a performer, I played on St. Patricks Day at an Irish bar called Hooley’s. We played traditional Irish songs and one was called ‘Tell Me Ma’. That song got one of the loudest reactions I’ve ever heard at a music show and I had been doing shows for over 12 years at that point.

If someone was interested in joining a band, how do musicians seek out one another in China? Going to other gigs is a great way to do that. Open mic nights are fun and another way to meet fellow musicians. The secondhand instrument selling groups are another way. Everyone in the live music scene sort of knows each other so it’s just a matter of finding that community.

OVERHEARD “In the end, LinkedIn was increasingly squeezed by requests for takedowns of material on the China side and competing complaints from the US. Given the low level of users, you simply can’t blame LinkedIn for calling it quits”

Wrote Richard Turrin in a LinkedIn post. Author of Cashless China, Turrin accompanied the post to the “Real Talk China” YouTube show, where he and host Cyrus Janssen discussed how LinkedIn wasn’t being kicked out of China. Instead, pivoting under pressure, Microsoft will replace the China version of LinkedIn later this year with InJobs. Albeit, stripped of social media and public commenting functions. The news of the pull-out has led to many netizens sending farewell wishes to China based contacts in case the connection is lost.

COVET Xiaopeng

It’s the luck of the draw when a P7 driver picks up unsuspecting ride-hailers. Teslainspired Chinese EV startup company Xiaopeng Motors made the P7 model along with others after Tesla opened up its patents. The resulting cars have a feeling of baseline luxury due to pleasant leather seats, spacious legroom and a soundless, smooth ride. When intense sunshine filters through the elongated sunroof, an ethereal mood is set as you’re shuffled from one point to the other.

> Search Xiaopeng on WeChat to shop.

UNDER THE LENS

New Louis Vuitton Global Ambassador

HoYeon Jung, dubbed by Vogue as South Korea’s next top model, is the first global ambassador named by Louis Vuitton after former brand ambassador Kris Wu’s fall from grace earlier this year. The appointment has led to some online rants and disapproval, as several international luxury brands seem to be distancing themselves from Chinese superstars under the crashing waves of domestic regulation enforcement. Ironically, Jung also stars on Squid Games, the popular Korean show on Netflix that YouKu recently denied ripping-off.

CITY SNAPSHOT @_once_upon_ this_life_

“I’m not always the best at expressing myself through words. I believe that my art and photography speak for me.” Originally from the US, Ally Duckett allows her talents to evolve after her day job teaching English.

She remembers carrying around a camera even as a young girl, eventually experimenting and painting as she grew and traveled. “A photograph not only records memories, but it captures real moments… without having to speak a word.” Along with exhibitions in six countries, she’s been published in CNN Travel for her photographs taken in India.

Of Haikou, Ally fell in love with the chill “island time” lifestyle and living a few minutes from the sea. She found a wonderful friends-like-family group and “a job I truly loved” so decided to call it home. “Ten years ago, Haikou wasn’t nearly as developed as it is now and is only just starting to grasp the concept of international culture.”

Museums, breweries, dance and art studios, concert halls and restaurants that offer cuisines from all over the world color the lifestyle she has carved out for herself. Ally started Haikou’s first Trivia Night and Haikou and Hainan Arts and Culture, currently a group of 300 people, where like-minded artists can share related events to support one another.

When she wanted to fulfill her dream of a diving certification though, she needed to do that in Sanya. “Haikou is developing along with every other part of Hainan but it doesn’t have everything.”

“Haikou and Sanya have always had a bit of a rivalry going on when it came to which place is best to live.” Ally describes herself as a beach bum and sometimes believes that Sanya might be the best place to live, but she is already partial to Haikou. “I really enjoy the city life, and I can go to Sanya on my weekends and during holidays for diving and exploration.”

“In the end, Haikou and Sanya both have their own unique character and special qualities going for them. Haikou has things that Sanya doesn’t have and vice versa.”

All in all, she says she’s lucky to live on Hainan island where she has easy access to anything she needs or wants to do.