Imagine three three-generation households living respectively in Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo in the 1990s. Grandmothers and Grandfathers were born in 1910s; Mothers and Fathers were born in 1940s; Sisters and Brothers were born in 1970s. How have the lives of these three generations been different? What changes have they witnessed (for example, in government, political situations, economy, education, culture, class, gender roles, ethnicity, etc.) and how have these changes affected their lives?
To answer this question, you need to consider what was going on at different times in these three countries and make all necessary connections about these people’s life experiences. You may describe these people’s experiences either country by country, or period by period. For example, if developing your essay country by country, you can describe these three generation’s life experiences in Beijing, in Seoul and in Tokyo separately; if developing your essay period by period, you can make a cross-country comparison of each generation’s life experiences at different periods.
