If you’ve spent any amount of time studying Chinese, there are certain gateway KTV songs that are hard to avoid, ranging from tried and true classics like Wakin Chau’s 《朋友》, Teresa Teng’s 《月亮代表我的心》, and Richie Ren’s 《对面的女孩看过来》, to more modern hits like Michael Wong’s 《童话》. It’s also not unusual for colleagues and clients to bond over karaoke together. Unlike karaoke in the west, which is a very public affair, KTV in China typically involves booking a private room at a karaoke venue with a group of friends and singing your heart out for a couple of hours.

Karaoke, or KTV, is a super popular pastime in China and much of Asia.