Sitting in a fake classroom mocked-up in a Beijing mall, hundreds of Chinese adults spent the weekend reliving their rebellious childhoods as they took part in a “school sneak-eating” contest.
Using everything from textbooks and water bottles to pieces of paper as cover, participants competed to see if they could scoff a variety of snacks right under the teacher-referee’s nose.
Sunday’s competition, organised by the mall and publicised online, is just one iteration of a nostalgia-driven craze that has taken Chinese social media by storm in recent weeks.
“I used to sneak-eat snacks during class when I was a kid too, though not very often,” admitted contestant An Dahua, 22.
“It really brought back childhood memories… I just kept my eyes glued to the teacher the whole time.”
For An, seeing adults in their 40s and 50s act as sneakily snacking youths “really stirred something”.
“I couldn’t help but think about how wonderful our childhood was,” she told AFP.
Peckish participants sat in pairs at classroom desks, avoiding the watchful eye of the referee, who organisers said was a teacher in real life.
A sign above the chalkboard urged students to “study hard and make progress every day” — a common slogan in Chinese classrooms.
As the mock class progressed, participants used various items to hide their chewing.
Those who managed to finish all their snacks within 10 minutes without being caught were declared victors and progressed to the next round.
Outside a perimeter marked with red ropes, onlookers snapped pictures and chuckled to each other while other shoppers at the mall simply walked by.
“Everyone is usually so busy with their everyday life, and having activities like this on weekends or holidays can really help people unwind,” said An.
For 24-year-old Kang Weijing, another contestant interviewed by AFP, the event offered a chance to experience the more simple pleasures of being a kid.
“This event allowed us to relive that same childhood joy all over again,” he said.
2026-06-01 15:03:00
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