On one of this winter's coldest nights, we ignored the glittering merchandise and headed straight for the other end of the supermarket, where my son's school, the SMIC Private School of Beijing, was holding a charity performance.

"Hurry up! It's my classmates performing Gangnam Style!" my son cried out to the boom of music and disappeared into the crowd. I had to elbow past several idle onlookers before catching a glimpse of the stage.

A dozen girls were doing their own version of the Korean song and dance, arguably the most popular global hit of the past year. They looked very professional in their scarlet tight-fitting skirts, with thick eye makeup more befitting women twice their age.