A Chinese boy in London wrote in his homework that what impressed him the most about Beijing was people playing on their mobile phones while squatting in the public lavatory, a British media reported on Monday.

The statement contains two recent major hot topics on the social media: the "Asia squat" and playing on a mobile phone.

At the end of 2017, a picture of Andy Lau and Jing Boran, two famous Chinese movie stars, squatting went viral on social media in China. In the photo, the two celebrities appear super leisurely and relaxed.

The picture of Andy Lau and Jing Boran squatting in a TV show/File photo

The fashion world started to pay attention to the "Asia squat" when Vogue magazine published an article by Roger Frampton titled The Lazy Girl's Smart Guide to Keeping Fit in 2018. Frampton has also given a TED talk called Why Sitting Down Destroys You, suggesting girls who are lazy but yearning for beauty and health squat three minutes a day with heels touching the ground, and knees wide open beyond the feet.

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It does not look decent, but helps to keep you fit and beautiful. In addition, it helps defecation, exercises muscles of the whole body, and prevents and controls diabetes because strong muscles consume more sugar and carbohydrates throughout the day. Squatting also helps promote physical abilities, eases back pain and prolongs life.

A study from King's College London in 2015 claims that exercising leg muscles in long run will counteract cognitive aging and improve thinking, learning and memory.

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Rumor has it that Westerners cannot squat, while Asians can do it easily. Japan has recently announced it will make all its toilets as the squat type during the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. It seems Westerners should put more efforts into practicing the squat.

(Compiled by Li Lei)