Seeing More When Seeing Less: YiXi Youth × Keystone Exploring life’s possibilities through distinct voices on one stage
In a world where adults often lead the conversation, it’s important to create space for young people to speak for themselves. Seven speakers from different fields, along with a Keystone student, will share personal stories drawn from real experiences at the first episode of YiXi Youth, a collaboration between Keystone Academy and YiXi.
This is the first time that YiXi and Keystone have worked together, bringing the former’s first on-site lecture event in China to the Keystone community.
At this event, Keystone Academy junior student Cheng Yuewen will offer her perspective on social issues and the actions she’s taking to make a difference. Other YiXi Youth speakers will offer insights that may bring back long-forgotten questions, rekindle aspirations, and open new perspectives.
Keystone x YiXi: Launching the First YiXi Youth
A sub-brand of YiXi, YiXi Youth creates a space for teenagers to share their experiences, ideas, and imaginations. For the first time, young people will take the stage to tell their own stories, while adults are invited to step back, listen, and reflect.
On the YiXi Youth stage, young speakers will share honest, unfiltered voices, shining a light on emotions we often overlook, questioning the world around them, and imagining the future. Their perspectives open new doors, proving that important conversations don’t end when the event does—they continue to evolve, challenge, and inspire in ways we may not expect.
The speakers at YiXi Youth come from a variety of industries, each dedicated to their own path of learning and discovery. Through their stories, they reveal different ways to explore the world, alternative paths to education, and the countless possibilities that life offers.
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About the Speakers and Topics
Science Ends Panic
With Li Zhizhong (Pineapple)
Popular science writer, Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Duke University
Li Zhizhong (Pineapple) graduated from Tsinghua University with a biology degree. He decided to pursue cancer research during his senior year, when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. After earning his Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Duke University, Mr. Li began developing new cancer drugs at a world-leading pharmaceutical company. While working there, Pineapple noticed the serious information asymmetry about cancer on the internet, which motivated him to write accessible science articles about cancer. His experience as a family member of a cancer patient gives his science writing a personal and compassionate touch.
His 2018 speech, “We are part-time debunkers, while others are full-time spreading pseudoscience”, was released on YiXi and garnered over 200 million online views.
In this presentation, Pineapple will discuss how scientific thinking has transformed cancer treatment through real historical cases. He’ll begin with this story:
In 2007, Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Ralph M. Steinman, was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer (often called the “king of cancers”). He decided to use himself as a test subject for the cancer vaccine he had developed. Remarkably, he survived for another four and a half years—far exceeding his doctors’ expectations.
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How the Youth Should Grapple with Complexities
With Liang Yongan
Professor at Fudan University, Humanities Scholar
On various occasions, Professor Liang Yongan is frequently asked to offer advice to young people. His most widely shared responses include: “Humans are inherently competitive, but what matters is the quality of that competition. What are you competing for?” “Chinese youth should avoid constantly believing there’s a better life elsewhere while merely standing at the window, never opening the door to step outside.” “The true essence of youth should be gaining an understanding of the world through trial and error. This is when a positive spirit of ‘lying flat’ is needed.” “We seem to expect all our life’s achievements by our twenties or thirties. We feel we should accomplish something significant by then. But truthfully, at this age… we simply don’t have what it takes to achieve great things.”
This time, our question is: What advice do you have for adolescents aged 12 to 18?
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Motivation for Creations
With Kai Kai
Founder of the independent publishing brand SHU SHU
“You must remember and cherish this moment when you can make such creative work, not because of how good your technique is, but because right now you have such a strong desire to express yourself.”
Kai Kai’s journey as an independent publisher began when a friend’s child, Jiajia, wanted to learn drawing from her. She guided Jiajia to create her own story through drawing, which eventually became an art book. This initial project inspired her to collaborate with more children on bookmaking.
She encourages children to draw what they most want to express, but when asked, they often respond with “I don’t know” or “no idea.” To overcome this, Kai Kai engages them in conversations, helping them identify and articulate their experiences and feelings. As a result, they create art reflecting both the warmth and difficulties in their lives, as well as imaginary superpowers. Older children also address serious concerns like school violence, gender bias, and wars.
While she doesn’t emphasize drawing skills, this approach naturally improves their artwork as they discover their motivation for creation.
When Kai Kai showcases the children’s books at art book exhibitions, readers are often surprised: “Why are such young children focusing on such heavy topics?” Adults frequently dismiss children with “you’re too young to understand,” refusing to engage in equal dialogue. However, the world doesn’t belong only to adults; children are also participants and observers of the world around them.
Dare to Express
With Su Dechao
Professor of the School of Philosophy of Wuhan University
“Dare to express your position, dare to find support for it, and dare to make that support acceptable not only to yourself but also to others. If you can’t do that, then criticism is welcome.”
Professor Su Dechao’s philosophy courses are highly regarded at Wuhan University, but his influence beyond campus began with a fortuitous classroom blackout in 2017. He continued lecturing for two hours in the darkness, with all students remaining engaged. Later, he expanded his reach by sharing philosophical insights on short-video platforms, with his most popular video receiving 680,000 likes.
Some critics point out that the most widely shared content online often lacks the discipline’s deeper aspects. Professor Su acknowledges this but counters, “Yes, but so what?” He believes the humanities can touch people’s hearts, providing comfort to those experiencing anxiety and internal conflict, helping them reconcile with their past while looking optimistically toward their future. This outcome, he maintains, is valuable.
We have invited Professor Su to discuss critical thinking. In today’s information overload, when social media bombards us with countless opinions, it’s crucial to distinguish credible information from unsupported claims and emotional manipulation. Independent critical thinking skills have never been more important. Through this half-hour presentation, we hope to provide ordinary people with simple, practical guidelines for developing rational thought.
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The Language of Possibilities
With Feng Junhe
Independent Chinese Language Teacher
“Our language education system sees the norms almost exclusively, but rarely recognizes the aesthetic possibilities beyond them.”
In 2023, YiXi’s official WeChat account published a speech by Mr. Feng Junhe titled “I Wrote All the Swear Words My Students Could Think Of on the Blackboard, It Was Truly Spectacular.” Mr. Feng noticed that Grade 7 students frequently used swear words in their speech, so he designed a class on “Adolescence and Swear Words.” The premise was simple: by openly confronting swear words, students could explore what lies behind these expressions. He has conducted many similar innovative classes, bringing students together to read classic texts and discuss themes such as gender, strange lands, seasons, and food—all while exploring what a truly free Chinese language classroom might look like.
Unsurprisingly, the talk sparked widespread discussion and became one of YiXi’s most popular presentations of 2023. The comment section revealed people’s frustration with the test-oriented, template-based Chinese language education they had experienced, as well as their hopes for something more meaningful. That’s why we’ve invited Mr. Feng to bring his classroom approach to this event, offering a Chinese language lesson to both the teenagers and adults in our audience. This lesson will focus on poetry, which has almost disappeared from school curricula due to its exclusion from the gaokao writing section.
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A Wonderful Microcosm
With Yang Xiaofeng
Insect Observer
“When I’m troubled by life’s difficulties, I find a way to spend a few hours alone with these friends with six or more legs. This always revitalizes me completely. They bring not only enjoyment, but also strength.”
A devoted admirer of Jean-Henri Fabre, Yang Xiaofeng wrote in the preface of “Following the Insects”: “If I could choose, I would have preferred to live in late 19th-century Provence. As a child, I would have followed an old man all day, lending him my bright eyes to observe the lives of insects, and tirelessly collecting dung balls of sacred beetles in the fields for him.”
In reality, Yang Xiaofeng is a design instructor in the School of Civil Engineering and Architecture at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. He has established an elective course on insects that attracts an impressive number of students. His greatest passion is observing insects. Due to his work and parenting responsibilities, most of his observations take place in the university’s green spaces, on the hillsides near West Lake, and occasionally during expeditions to more remote natural settings for scientific research and documentary filming.
He studies insects’ appearance and physical details, drawing inspiration from their faces to cathedral-like structures. He observes their mating, egg-laying, hunting, and conflicts. He examines how they build homes and nests—which he considers a form of architectural aesthetics created by insects. He deciphers their camouflage and mimicry: those resembling dead branches or leaves, other bugs, or even bird droppings. He searches for traces they leave behind and speculates about the stories that unfolded in these places.
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Rumor Has It
With Ding Yang
Chief Verification Officer at Tencent News Verification Platform
“A message’s credibility depends on properly identifying its sources and origins; unfortunately, only a small percentage of people are aware of this.”
Consider these items: “Lost workbook of primary school student Qin Lang found in Paris, France,” “Top celebrity loses a billion yuan gambling in Macau,” “The seaweed you purchased won’t tear, is difficult to chew, and has a fishy smell because it’s made from discarded black plastic bags,” “Dog owner offered a 10-million-yuan reward for finding a lost dog but only paid 5,000 yuan when it was returned,” and “Persimmons and crabs should never be eaten together.” What do these stories have in common? They’re all fake news.
As they say, “a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” For the past decade, Ding Yang has been working at Tencent News Verification Platform as a professional fact-checker. Each day, he functions like a detective, investigating suspicious information, analyzing its sources and transmission chains, and labeling content as “severely misleading,” “fabricated,” “purely a rumor,” or “AI-generated.” Who creates these rumors, what patterns do widely spread misinformation follow, and how can we improve our media literacy in this complex information landscape? Ding Yang is here to help figure it out.
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Attention to Detail
With Mia Cheng
Grade 11 student at Keystone Academy
“When I am seen, my sense of self is strong, but when I am not seen, my subjective consciousness fades, and my attention shifts to everything around me.”
After watching scholar Wang Di’s lecture on teahouses several years ago, Mia Cheng discovered sociology—a discipline that deeply captivated her. During a middle school vacation, Mia, who enjoys cooking, spent a month studying at New East Cuisine Education. Although her experience ended prematurely when she cut her hand and needed a tetanus shot, she gained valuable insights from friendships with the culinary students. Over the past year and a half, she has visited more than thirty teahouses that represent Chengdu’s leisure culture. By immersing herself in these public spaces and conducting sociological observations, she has produced essays totaling over a hundred thousand words.
Last summer, Mia submitted her resume on 58.com, passed the interview, and became a full-time waitress at a restaurant in Chengdu. Working 9-10 hours daily with just one day off per week, she memorized the menu, lived in the staff dormitory, and waited in a small cubicle outside the private dining rooms for customers to call. She shadowed her 22-year-old mentor, navigating constantly between the dining tables and the kitchen, fully committing herself to this lifestyle.
As a guest and a child, whenever she visited restaurants, she always felt like the center of attention. However, after becoming a waitress, she felt invisible—like someone no one sees. This stark contrast led her to reflect on how people exist in society and strengthened her resolve to study sociology at university.
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YiXi Youth × Keystone
Seeing More When Seeing Less
The first in the country
Event time
March 30, 2025
13:00-19:00
Event location
Keystone Academy · Performing Arts Center
No. 11, Anfu Street, Houshayu, Shunyi District
How to register
Scan the QR code below
Or book your seat here
Seats are limited, and tickets can be exchanged for admission with registration information
