Social Media Digest

'Painful' graduation

Graduation season is in full swing, and this year, many Chinese students are adding a unique twist to the tradition — drawing inspiration from "ita bag culture", a Japanese trend where fans decorate bags with character merchandise. The term translates literally into Chinese as "pain bag", reflecting the emotional and financial devotion of fans.

Building on this idea, students have created "pain caps" and "pain gowns" by adorning their academic regalia with anime badges, figurines, and other merchandise from their favorite franchises.