Which Asian R you?
Raver, runner, rock climber or reader — choose your character!
STORY BY JENNY JANG
DESIGN BY JUSTIN TANG
PHOTOS BY YUSHU WU
Clinging to the side of a climbing wall, fingers dusted in chalk, one NU student calculates each move before committing. Across the city, another student descends into a crowded event hall, bass shaking the floor as bodies move and bump against one another.
A viral TikTok posted by @dalekim__ in October 2025 grouped Asian people into four hobbies, dubbed the “4 R’s”: rock climbing, raving, running and reading. At NU, the first two have become staple activities among Asian American students.
McCormick second-year Nara Jung’s connection to rock climbing is shaped more by the activity’s community than the activity itself.
“It’s kind of like a third space, in a sense,” he says. “There’s always this aspect of a third space that I think people in this day and age are really looking for.”
As an engineering student whose busy schedule revolves around academics, rock climbing gives Jung something to look forward to.
Within NU’s rock climbing community, McCormick third-year and NU Rock Climbing Club executive member Toby Zheng describes rock climbing as both physically and mentally engaging, a balance that makes it especially appealing to him.
Those who are turned off by traditional workouts like weightlifting may be more inclined to try rock climbing, which Zheng says is “relative to your own body weight.” He says that the emphasis on technique over brute strength lowers the barrier to entry and shifts how achievement is defined.
“It’s almost 50-50, equally strength and problem-solving,” says Jung, who is also an executive member of the NU Rock Climbing Club.
Zheng says that climbing also has a fashionable side to it. Unlike the standard gym uniform of tank tops and tight athletic wear, wclimbers often show up in more expressive outfits. Many wear “really baggy track pants,” a look Zheng says is closely aligned with Asian fashion trends.
For others, the appeal lies in something completely different. Weinberg second-year Elina Zhang says she appreciates the defined challenge and clear goal that climbing provides.
“I felt really intimidated at the beginning, but that’s part of the fun,” Zhang says. “I think it’s community-building, too.”
Raves are also a space where NU students have found joy and belonging.
While raving culture is not unique to Asian American communities, social media has increasingly linked the two by associating raving with the Southern California Asian identity. The trend builds on earlier narratives that connect EDM scenes to certain subcultures, such as “Asian Baby Girls.”
If climbing offers structure, raving offers release for Weinberg third-year Jasmine Guo.
“I feel like a big part of it, at least for women, is rebelling against the stereotypical, meek, quiet, conforming, smart Asian student [label],” Guo says.
Raving provides a space where that expectation loosens, she says. The activity has been growing in popularity within her own academic circles.
“I’m pre-med, and I’ve seen a lot of doctors or medical students going to raves,” Guo says. “It’s become a big thing in that community.”
Weinberg fourth-year Therese Mañego also points to a work hard, play hard mindset that she says many Asian American students resonate with.
“A lot of Asians have this mindset of grinding all the time, and being super locked in,” Mañego says. “Raves give you a chance to not worry about all of that and just have a good time.”
Beyond the emotional release, Mañego says raving creates a unique social space. She notes that there’s significantly less social pressure to present oneself in a particular way, like letting go of self-consciousness or dancing without fear of how they’re being perceived.
Others question whether raving is a specifically Asian American activity altogether. McCormick second-year Keith Yuan says he does not see the 4 R’s as driven by Asian identities, and rather by social circles. He believes that many students engage in these activities because their Asian friends happen to do so, not because the hobbies are expressions of Asian identity.
At the same time, Yuan acknowledges that social media amplifies the perception that these activities are distinctly Asian, which may dissuade non-Asian people from trying them out. However, he says that individual choices should remain separate from online trends.
“You should only decide what you want to do yourself and not base it off what you see other people doing on Instagram,” Yuan says.
Even so, students across the 4 R’s say that rock climbing, raving, running and reading have similar cathartic effects. If you’re looking for a new hobby, maybe one of these is the right one for you.
Chalk and control
Work hard, rave harder