KTV

If you hang out with Chinese college students enough, you will sooner or later be invited to partake in the universal favorite activity: KTV. KTV is a general term that is applied to all facilities that offer karaoke. And it's not just the awful and embarassing karaoke that we know in the states, that only occurs in specific bars and only by the completely intoxicated. Here, everybody likes to sing, regardless of their level of talent. Karaoke here has gotten high-tech. You and a group of friends get a special private room that is equipped with a huge TV and a computer for song selection. There are two microphones and a large wrap-around couch so that everybody can cram into the room. Now the fun begins. You pick your songs, and yes they have English songs (too many, in fact), and then you basically pass around the microphones so your friends can sing the songs they've picked. For us Americans who still have qualms about karaoke, you can sing with the artist if you prefer. The point of this note is to emphasize just how much Chinese young people LOVE karaoke. I guess it could be a lot worse, like the ways kids in the US find to amuse themselves on the weekends.