SMU Assistant Professor of Sociology Gao Yang was interviewed for a New York Times article about the significance of the popular American sitcom Friends among urban Chinese youths. Assistant Prof Gao, who has studied the show’s significance among Chinese millennials, noted that “Friends” is a fantasy. “The show provides a window into a set of lives that appear less controlled, less structured and burdened by test-taking, rankings, family commitments and government oversight,” she said.