What they say

"'Cuteness' is a popular word among my peers. Most of my female classmates have cute things, including clothes with lovely images of pets or cartoon characters. A Monchichi toy, a monkey with brown fur, is popular among girls. Contact lenses can also show cuteness, making the pupils looks bigger like Barbie's. In addition, cute gestures in daily life are quite normal among high school students. Pouting in a cute way is most common. However, some students think it's unnecessary."

Yang Yue, 15, high school student in Kunming, Yunnan province.

"I think meng, first emerged on the Internet and was not at all well-known a few years ago. Personally speaking, the preference for meng results from people wishing to avoid reality. Those cute things don't suggest anything aggressive, just loveliness. With the wider spread of cuteness in recent years, the culture has also influenced the older generation. My boss is 42 years old and sometimes uses baby words such as 'doggie' to display a cute attitude and maintain a close relationship with younger workers."