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You're listening to Roundtable with myself He Young. I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Ding Heng in the studio. Coming up, one of the hottest home trends in China right now? Prison core. That's stainless steel everything. Walls, shelves, everything. Giving off serious prison break vibes. You know that hit show set in a high security jail? It's sleek, minimalist, and low maintenance. But to older folks, it feels cold, harsh, and some even say wu ji li or inauspicious. So what's drawing young people to this metal makeover? And your voice matters and it would be great to hear it in our heart to heart segment. Got a question? Something you're itching to share? Fire up that voice memo and hit us up at Roundtable Podcast at qq.com. Our podcast listeners can find us at Roundtable China on Apple Podcast. Now let's switch gears. Picture this, metal walls, industrial lights, and more gray than a grainy Monday. Some say it's modern, others go futuristic, but on social media, internet users lovingly refer it to as prison core. Step aside, the warm and cozy designs of cottage core and pastel minimalism, young people are embracing stainless steel chic, sleek, shiny, and low maintenance, but also giving serious solitary confinement vibes. So why are they turning their homes into something out of the TV series Prison Break? What other interior design trends are popping up in Chinese apartments? I bet you guys have checked out the pictures circulating online. How do you feel about it? What do you see? Can we talk about Prison Break first? Season one, right? It was gross. Season one was amazing. They spend the whole season planning on how to break out of prison. They get out and then they're back in and then it's just how to break out of prison again. We've been through this already. After that, I stopped watching it. Yeah, same here. That guy was super popular. What was his name? Scolfield? Miller. Scolfield? Something? Michael Scolfield. Michael Scolfield. Look at who's the real fan here, huh? He was a heartthrob for a lot of the young people. It was almost two decades ago when this whole drama, it was back in 2007, 2008, when it was a big hit in China. So it's by no means because of Prison Break. Prison Break. Yeah. If you're listening, you thought we were talking home decor, uh-uh, we're talking TV for the next 20 minutes. No, I'm just kidding. Yeah, so this is hot right now in terms of interior design. It's this stainless steel, full house, custom decor style, and it's been gaining a lot of popularity among young people, especially among those who are pursuing individuality or a sense of technology or a sense of that minimalist aesthetic. I remember it was, gosh, would it have been within the last 10 years or so that in the West, this whole minimalist concept really caught on and the tiny home, do you know what I'm talking about? The tiny home trend where people were looking to build these super, super small houses and everything inside was just as efficient as it could possibly be. Did that minimalist trend catch on here in China at all? To a certain extent, but here I think, yeah, sometimes it's called a minimalist. Sometimes it's called Scandinavian style and that can be also referred to sort of like the Muji type thing, but that's obviously the Japanese style roots. So I think definitely here in China, we're seeing that, you know, it's your own home, so you can't see. You can do whatever you want. Yeah, however way you feel with it. Yeah. Well, I asked you if the minimalist aesthetic was a thing in the past because there's a connection to this stainless steel vibe too. The people who are into this, they think that this style is not just fashionable, but it's a really futuristic look and it reflects their unique understanding of life and it also reflects their personal attitude. And yeah, on social platforms, social media platforms, many of these home decor influencers, they've shared examples of this, you called it prison core interior style. And it's gotten so much attention. On red note, there are over a hundred thousand posts discussing this type of stainless steel decor and people are really enthusiastically sharing how they've styled their homes and their living rooms or their kitchens with this metallic modern vibe. I think in general, when we think about interior design for stainless steel, we might think the kitchen. Yes. Right? And it looks beautiful in a kitchen. Stainless steel countertops, they're easy to take care of and they just look like... Yeah. It makes your kitchen look like a professional kitchen, doesn't it? But this is taking it a step further. It's not just the kitchen anymore. Wow. So I guess when we talk about why people love it, I personally would partially get it. Okay. Maybe because some younger generation are getting tired of the traditional way of decorating their houses. They want to be creative and innovative, because today's young people are really growing tired of some high maintenance decor translate, those wood heavy Instagram aesthetics or this kind of hotel style interiors. These styles would often require constant upkeep and they can sometimes look a little bit cluttered if they are not meticulously maintained. For example, if we're talking about a hotel style interior, if you don't have a house manager to take care of it on day to day basis, you would check out of this hotel each and every minute, right? This is like, you talk about the old, well, old wood style, but it does now, doesn't it? You know what I'm talking about that almost like a red brown color wood that a lot of homes might have their furniture, their coffee tables, their dinner tables, and it tends to be insanely heavy, right? And then you have to wax it, you have to polish it, and it's just a pain to make it look really great all the time. Well, this is a new solution for that. Stainless steel is durable, it's stain resistant, it's easy to clean. And then there are different options too, right? So your stainless steel style can come in many different textures. There's a lot of different design possibilities. And people are looking at matte stainless steel, which it's not that shiny look. So you get a different look. And if you're doing this in other parts of your home and not just your kitchen, you can have different looks to the steel in different parts of your house, which is kind of a, I mean, for me, you don't like it that much thinking, I kind of think it's a cool thing. I'm not talking about your entire home should be covered in stainless steel, but at the same time, I do think it has a slick, chic, clean, really clean look to it. And yeah, kind of futuristic too. Yeah. I have some mixed feelings and thoughts to share here. When you were describing the stainless steel in the kitchen decoration, that's actually a very, very good analogy or comparison to make. What I had in mind was even more inauspicious, as the older folks would say, because I've been reading, I've been watching a couple of crime shows. One is called Sha Chen Ba, and another one is Ji E Myung, are shown really popular right now. And I recommend to everybody anyhow, that kind of look kind of reminds me of the morgue. Okay, moving on. Oh, the morgue. Yeah. The crime shows and people die. Right. Those rooms are always fully stainless steel, aren't they? Sorry to bring that up. No. And that's definitely not the way to sell this kind of home decker, but also one, not but just to echo another thing that Steve, you brought up, and I think there might be something shared across cultures. You mentioned those very sturdy, traditional wooden furniture, popular in North America, I suppose, deemed rather traditional. In China, we have a different version of that, and it dates back hundreds of years ago, and it's this very expensive type of wooden furniture. And we take great pride in this as part of our history. And usually, not only is the wood material very, very expensive, but also the intricate carvings on it, that is all part of the aesthetic, and it's part of the showcase of tremendous craftsman's skillship here. So that is deemed rather traditional in our country as well. And I know for a fact that if you live in a rather dusty cosmopolitan, to clean the intricate wooden carvings is impossible. And I don't see young people would be prone to have that in their home. Like I said, it's durable, and it's easy to clean because stainless steel, it's resistant to pests and dirt and mildew and mold. I mean, that's an important thing, especially if you're living in the southern part of China where you have more humid climates than you'd find in the north, right? So you don't have to spend too much time taking care of it. There's very few of those hidden corners that you're talking about, the intricate designs. You can just clean it with high pressure water or just rubbing it down yourself. And you don't need to wax it either, right? Like you do with other types of really fancy woods. So you don't need to spend so much time taking care of it. We talked too on Roundtable about how nobody has any time for anything anymore. As it seems. Remember that? We talked about what were the terms? Time rich versus time poor. And one of the recommendations for those who were time poor, meaning you don't have enough time to do things in your daily life, is to find ways to add minutes to your day. And if you have a stainless steel interior, you're going to spend fewer minutes cleaning intricate details of other furniture and you can add your minutes that way, I guess. But for me, whether I have time or time poor, I'm not going to clean my kitchen anyway. I'm going to hire somebody to do this anyway. That was another way to add minutes to your day, actually. Outsource your home chores. Yes, that's right. I guess there is also a cost effective angle here, because now, for example, some basic 304 stainless steel offers great level of cost effectiveness. It's cheaper than quads, countertops, and they're extremely durable. That's another point Steve mentioned about earlier. Now, it is reported that 304 stainless steel has one point times the compressive strength of quads, while costing only 60% as much. So you get a 40% discount for a stronger material that's easier to clean. Okay. But also for folks who live in the northern parts of China, where the climate is a lot drier, as opposed to our fellow compatriots in the southern part of China, stainless steel isn't always a great idea. Yeah, it can also generate static electricity. So grounding is important. Electrical safety needs to be carefully addressed. Also, if you own a home, a pet, excuse me, or you have a pet in your home, if you have stainless steel, maybe on your flooring, you've basically turned your floor into a skating rink for your little puppy or kitten. And also doesn't sound great for maybe elderly parents either. Also a possibility, yes. There are certain downsides, I suppose, to it. Yes, and another major downside that comes to mind is if you are someone who, what do you call the people who are just really into cleanness? Cleanest freaks? Yeah, somebody like that. Then you wouldn't like this because these stainless steel surfaces would leave your fingerprints on it and it's difficult to actually wipe them off. You're constantly rubbing your fingerprints away. Yeah, you are living on a crime scene, I feel. That's true. So that's no good if you don't want us. Yeah, and also the steelless stainless steel. Yeah, this kind of arrangement is only pretty when it's got no fingerprints, when it's not got any of your everyday stuff just laying around. For example, the baby's crib doesn't look good in that scene and all that, I don't know, your dirty clothes. Yeah, no, you bring up a good point. For me, I think a combination of stainless steel with some lighter colored woods is a really, really, really nice look. I had a kitchen island once. It was my favorite thing in my house and the body of the island was stainless steel and the countertop part of it was made out, it was a giant chopping board, essentially. So you had that light colored wood together with that stainless steel. Oh, I loved that thing. Yeah, it sounds like somebody paid extra. That wasn't that bad, actually. Oh, great. It was on sale, I remember. That's fantastic. Then what about the other really popular decorating styles that are trending here in China? Wabi Sabi, the poetry of simplicity. This one came from Japan and this is all about natural and unpretentious aesthetics. It often uses materials like cement and raw wood which can create a really cool look and this can also preserve their original textures to create this really serene and almost understated vibe or atmosphere in your home. That's totally the opposite of the sharpness or the morgue style stainless steel look. Wabi Sabi focuses more on warmth and emotion in a space and it celebrates the beauty of imperfection and I think that can create a really beautiful interior look too. Also, for example, we can take a look at industrial style because this is a style known for its rugged and raw features so it's basically incorporates. Yeah, brick walls and metal furniture to create this kind of a very distinctive artistic feeling. That's a good look too. I like that look like a brick wall is one of the walls of your living room or something like that. That's cool. Also, minimalist style. Basically, the guiding philosophy behind this style is that less is more. So it emphasizes openness and clean lines to create a comfortable, calm living environment and some new Chinese style. If you are a fan of Chinese elements blended with some modern design, then maybe you should go for it. Yeah, these are some really great design trends and styles out there and one of my guilty pleasures is to watch those AD videos, often going into a celebrity's home. Seeing how the how the other half lives. They're really nice to watch, but I always feel when I look at my own home, why is there such a long distance? I think it's because what we are shown in those videos, that's often put together by hired by a specialist or something like that, right? And for our everyday lives, we have stuff laying around. We're regular people. We actually live there. So I just hope that you don't feel too bad when we look at our own places. And it's perfectly fine to draw some inspiration from everything we've talked about today. And it's your home. So you have to say. Every space can be a beautiful space if you make it your own. Oh, I love that. And I should write that down. Yes, please do. Coming up, let's have a moment of heart to heart. You ask. We answer. Roundtable. Heart to heart. Who's got a question for a roundtable? Hello. My name is Bill from Roundtable. I've listened to Roundtable for nearly seven years and used the show as my daily listening material. By the way, I like He Yang the most. Now I work for an e-commerce company focusing on domestic marketing. During my working time, I have no chance to use my English ability. I'm always hesitating whether I should shift my job. But as we all know, the overseas market is getting worse. China and the USA are at a trade war. And the future is unpredictable. I hope to take advantage of my English ability in my job. So you guys, do you have any suggestions on me? How can I use my English ability? English speaking, live streaming, English corner in my city. I hope for your reply. Thank you so much, Bill from Guangzhou. And seven years of listening to Roundtable, that's longer than some relationships last. Thank you. And I'm so honored to be mentioned in your voice memo. So now to your question. And it is a big one. I hear your caution. You're watching global markets shift, hearing talk of trade tensions and wondering, this is going to affect me. But how exactly? And you've got this really cool skill. Once deemed necessary, I suppose, and now you're also questioning, like, how can you better use it or use it at all? So what do you guys have to say to our lovely listener? Well, hi, Bill from Guangzhou. I guess you can indeed seriously consider switching to an e-commerce business focused more on overseas markets. Yes, the US and China are in a trade war right now, and it's more likely to intensify in the foreseeable future. The world's second largest economy and the number one economy are not getting well these days. That's for sure. But in the meantime, a trade war with the United States probably also means greater opportunities for China's trade with other markets. It has been a trend from a long, long time ago, as early as when US President Donald Trump assumed office for his first term in 2017, that China has been gradually shifting its trade away from US-oriented to other markets. In some of the most recent years, the US is no longer China's trading partner. The largest partner has been all those countries the ASEAN bloc in Southeast Asia. Last year, China's trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road initiatives surpassed 50% of China's total trade volume in terms of foreign trade for the first time. So I believe there are still great opportunities in other markets. And even when you're doing business with a country from the Belt and Road Network, for example, I guess your English language still will still be very, very useful. That's for sure, because English continues to be the putonghua, you know, the putonghua in a worldwide style, right? It's the language of business. And also AI of the internet in so many ways. Yeah, and if I could just offer, this is not directly related, but this is how everyday ordinary people feel this morning in the office. I heard two colleagues who have cats as pets, and then they were in a panic because the amount of money that they're going to pay for imported cat food has risen. And they're not happy about that, obviously. And they're considering that they might have to switch the pet food to domestic. But there are, and that might be just a must that they have to do, economic calculation. We all do that. And then when you look at on the internet, so many folks in the US, the amount of money that they're paying for shopping through Amazon, for example, that's going up by like 30% or something like that. So I think for everyday people, we feel the brunt. I'm not going to comment on the other, the bigger stuff, but this is what people on the ground in these two countries feel. But what about for Bill's question, and he's asking like, what about the English skill in all of this? Well, I would say, Bill, that the situation that we're in now, and I'm not referring to any specific situation, I just mean the world, is not the situation that we're going to be in forever, right? So if you were to, let's say, Bill, that you stop using your English, you stop practicing speaking or reading or listening to music or dramas, or however it is that you do it, and then things change. And then you have an opportunity in the future to use that English again. So I would say rather than pay attention to the external forces right now, those are likely to change in the future. Focus more on the internal. If you enjoy it, Bill, and you want to make it a part of your life and hopefully you can use it more in your career in the future, then go ahead and try those things like live speaking, streaming, or your other suggestion. Keep it a part of your life because you never know what's going to happen in the future. Yes, it doesn't have to be your main dish, but it's good to have it on the side. Yeah. And here's what I want to say to you, Bill. English is not just a skill, it's a pair of wings, a way of thinking, a way of connecting, even if the path isn't clear right now, and you don't have to wait for the perfect opportunity to use it. And you're really not alone on this. So many of us are trying to match our skills to a fast changing world and workplace. So just know that your curiosity and your drive, that's already powerful. Also, very importantly, I suppose, this is also about agency. You don't have to wait for the job market to change, for the climate to change, you can create your own momentum. So take up all those exciting ventures that you are talking about. And that brings us to the end of today's show. Thank you so much, Steve Hatherly and Ding Hong for joining the discussion. I'm He Yang. We'll see you next time.