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China’s ‘Masculinity Crisis’: The Internet Slang That Stereotypes Chinese Men

How a Chinese boyband triggered social media discussions on what it means to be ‘masculine’.

Gabi Verberg

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The F4 boy band via https://gnn.gamer.com.tw/3/165263.html

This month, a well-known Chinese educational program for children that featured a ‘feminine-looking’ boyband ignited discussions on masculinity in China. What’s on Weibo provides an overview of Chinese media’s stance on the recent discussion, and an introduction to five popular social media slang terms stereotyping Chinese men.
 
At the beginning of this month, a discussion about the meaning of ‘masculinity’ sparked discussions on Chinese social media. Discussions started when Chinese state broadcaster CCTV aired Back to School: The First Class (开学第一课).

The programme is an annual educational television program by CCTV and the Ministry of Education, dedicated to the celebration of the new school year. The show, that had one of the highest viewers ratings since years, opened with a performance of the boy band New F4 (新F4).

The boy band New F4 consists of Guan Hong (官鸿), Dylan (王鹤棣), Wu Xize (吴希泽), and Liang Jingkang (梁靖康). In China, the four young men are known to be ‘feminine-looking’ or so-called ‘sissies’ (娘炮男), meaning they pay much attention to their clothing, hair, and make-up.

Guan Hong (官鸿), one of the New F4 members (via Weibo).

Since the airing of the ‘Back to School’ programme, many parents questioned the suitability of the performance of New F4, calling for some more ‘masculinity’ (“阳刚之气”) on social media. They criticized the program for being “too entertaining” and having “not enough educational value.”

 

SISSY BOYS? CHINESE MEDIA RESPOND

 

A few days after the controversial show broadcasted, state media outlet Xinhua News published a commentary calling the New F4 ‘sissies’ (娘炮). Xinhua stated:

(..) “these sissies promote an unhealthy and unnatural culture which has a not-to-underestimate negative impact on the youth. The sissy culture, driven by consumption, challenges the public order and worships a decadent lifestyle.

Within a few hours after Xinhua News published the article, a column published on the platform of Party newspaper People’s Daily (author @百家号) responded with an article titled ‘People’s Daily Review: What Should Today’s ‘Masculine Traits’ be?’ (人民日报评论:什么是今天该有的“男性气质”) questioning the definition and purpose of masculinity in modern society.

People’s Daily Review column’s author stated that:

” (..) modern society broadened the perception of aesthetics, and in a mature society, people should be tolerant towards other people and no longer [should] evaluate a person based on its gender characteristics only.”

Later in the article, the author proposes a new construction of masculinity; one that has not much to do with one’s appearance but more with one’s inner qualities. It also criticizes the use of derogatory terms such as ‘sissy’ for failing to “respect individual choices.”

This is not the first time that a voice featured on a People’s Daily platform supports so-called feminine-looking men. On the 13th of August this year, the People’s Daily Overseas Edition also published an editorial article, calling for tolerance towards this new lifestyle.

 

DISCUSSIONS ON WEIBO

 

On Chinese social media, there are also many netizens who see no threat in the rising popularity of the androgyne looking men. A typical comment said:

“What is a good man? A good man’s most essential qualities are to have an idea and be responsible, be brave and kind. These are the things that are important. Only looking at somebody’s appearance is too simplistic.”

Other Weibo users responded: “Determining whether a man is effeminate or not has nothing to do with his appearance. It can be found his sense of responsibility.”

Also, the hashtag “I’ve deleted the names of people who call feminine-looking men names” (#骂娘炮的人已经被我拉黑了#), initiated by the Chinese edition of News China, has since gone viral on Chinese social media.

But the supposed ‘disappearance of masculinity’ also led many to worry about an alleged ‘masculinity crisis.’

One Weibo user wrote a typical comment saying: “Men should stand up and be more masculine!”, with many more praising Xinhua for sending out a strong and clear message, warning society for the rise of ‘sissy-culture’.

 

5 TERMS STEROTYPING CHINESE MEN

 

This is not the first time that there is talk of a supposed ‘crisis of masculinity’. Throughout the years, various terms have popped up on Chinese social media defining certain types of men and their traits. These are five popular examples:

 

1. Sissy boy (娘炮男, pinyin: niángpàonán)

 

One of China’s most popular singer and actor Kris (吴亦凡), source: http://www.iqiyi.com/paopao/u/1456302336/

Derogatory term for androgyne men whose personality and appearance is quite feminine. They often like to put much care into their appearance, including wearing makeup, and a love for shopping. On social media, many claim the reason for this alleged ‘soft behavior’ is said to be nurtured by the overprotection of children and the lack of gender awareness in upbringing.

 

2. The Chauvinist(男子汉,pinyin: nánzǐhàn; or ‘Straight Man Cancer’ 直男癌 zhínán’ái)

 

Source:http://www.sohu.com/a/21281898_117436

Refers to men who live in their own world, with their own values and who tend to reveal their dissatisfaction towards other people. The general view is that these ‘Chauvinist men’ are self-righteous and indifferent to women’s values. Their way of getting acquainted with a woman is often through buying her gifts and spending a lot of money.

 

3. Phoenix man (凤凰男,pinyin: fènghuángnán)

 

Source: https://jingyan.baidu.com/article/9c69d48f93291d13c9024e3f.html?st=5&os=1&bd_page_type=1&net_type=1

‘Phoenix male’ refers to those men who came from poor rural areas and who have been admitted to college after hard work and dwelling in the city to work after graduation. Although they have left the countryside, they still hold on to many rural and traditional concepts and ideas.

 

4. Wretched or Vulgar Man (猥琐男,pinyin: wěisuǒnán), also often referred to as loser (男屌丝,pinyin: nándiǎosī)

 

Source:http://bbs.tianya.cn/picall-funinfo-7299549.shtml#p=262732538

The terms ‘vulgar man’, ‘loser’ or ‘pervert’ are given to a person making other people feel uneasy and uncomfortable. These men are said to be shameless and show an abnormal and inferior behavior caused by long-term sexual repression.

 

5. Mommy’s Boy (妈宝男,pinyin: mābǎonán)

 

Source: http://m.sohu.com/n/411935946/

The ‘mommy’s boy’ label refers to men who listen to everything their mother says. Whatever it is that their mother says, they regard it as the truth, and they live by the decisions their mother takes – including what job to take on, who to marry, and where to live.

 

For now, discussions on what a ‘real man’ is seem to be continuing on Chinese social media. In the meanwhile, the Weibo page of the ‘feminine-looking boyband’ New F4 already received 110 million views- a number that just keeps on growing.

Link to the New F4 performance on the CCTV program Back to School: The first class (开学第一课): here.

By Gabi Verberg

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us.

©2018 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

Gabi Verberg is a Business graduate from the University of Amsterdam who has worked and studied in Shanghai and Beijing. She now lives in Amsterdam and works as a part-time translator, with a particular interest in Chinese modern culture and politics.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Avatar

    si knight

    November 25, 2018 at 10:38 am

    Ignited discussions on masculine you say? I’m not sure where you have been Gabi as this debate has been on going for the last 10 or so years. It was the subject of a book (Rescue our Boy’s, 2010) by Chinese academics and even reported in the New York Times not to mention the countless other websites that put a spin on it. A belated welcome to the debate.

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China Music

Rock ‘n’ Troll Chaos: The Controversy Surrounding Thefts at China’s Central Midi Festival

A theft scandal rocked China’s Midi Festival, which took place in Nanyang this week. Midi, however, blames online trolls for hyping the case.

Manya Koetse

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What was supposed to be celebration of music, mud, and Midi freedom turned into a controversy that captured widespread attention on Chinese social media this week, as reports of looting surfaced online. As online discussions continue, people do not agree on who is to blame for the incident and the widespread attention for it.

The city of Nanyang in Henan has been all the talk on Chinese social media over the past few days due to large amounts of personal belongings getting stolen during the Central Midi Festival (中原迷笛音乐节).

The Midi Festival, founded by the Beijing Midi School of Music, is among China’s largest and most influential rock music festivals. Midi has been around for some thirty years, with variations in themes and taking place in different locations.

The most recent edition was held in Nanyang from September 29 to October 2nd. It drew approximately 150,000 visitors who flocked to Henan to have a good time, enjoy the music, dance in the mud, and stay at the camp site throughout the multi-day festival.

The local government had hoped that hosting the festival would help promote the city and make it more popular among young people. To create a positive impression, the entire city, including a remarkable 40,000 volunteers, local authorities, hotels, and transportation companies, dedicated their efforts to ensure the success of the Midi Festival. The mayor even personally welcomed festival-goers at the train station.

 
Free-for-all Festival
 

However, it seems that some locals had different intentions. They watched the festivities from behind the fences, and then started coming in and entering the camp sites. When they found unattended tents, as the owners were enjoying the music, they started stealing items from inside.

What began as isolated incidents soon escalated. More people joined in, more items were stolen, and the thieves grew bolder, sometimes even stealing from tents while their owners were present and trying to stop them.

There’s a video circulating showing an older lady rummaging through a festivalgoer’s tent while he filmed the scene. The lady casually stated, “I’ll take your camp light, dear,” and informed him of her theft.

Even sponsors and official vendors at the festival site fell victim to theft, as people entered their areas and stole their products and merchandise to resell later. There were reports of chairs and cables being stolen – essential items for a smooth-running festival.

Although security guards and police did intervene when the looting began, they allegedly just sent the thieves away at first without apprehending them. Some festivalgoers claimed to have lost personal items valued at over 10,000 RMB ($1,388).

By now, as the incident has gained national attention via social media, the case is being thorougly researched. The local police have received a total of 73 reports and they have confirmed 65 cases of theft. Some of the thieves have been arrested, and some of the stolen items have been recovered.

 
It Started with a Rumor
 

How could the festival looting get so out of control? According to local authorities in Nanyang, the incident began when a short video platform user known as “Wuyu” (无语) posted a video on October 2nd, falsely claiming that all the tents at the festival were available for taking as the event had ended and the premises needed to be cleared.

This rumor soon widely circulated, and prompted nearby villagers to come to the site to see what they could get.

The person behind the “Wuyu” account, identified as Chen Feng (陈峰), has since been identified and was taken into custody by the police.

On October 5, the Midi Festival released a statement on Weibo, reassuring the public that the festival and the local government are working together to try their best and recover all stolen items.

Statement by Midi.

Midi also lashed out against online ‘trolls’ who were hyping up the situation at Midi to smear the festival and the city’s reputation. The festival condemned both the small group of thieves and the larger group of online trolls.

 
Provincial Prejudice
 

The controversy has generated a lot of anger, not just among visitors and the festival organization staff, but also among local Nanyang authorities who had invested considerable effort into making the festival a success.

The incident has cast a shadow over Midi. In an online poll conducted by Fengmian Redian (@封面热点), a majority of respondents indicated that they would not want to attend the festival after this happened, expressing their disappointment over the looting.

The controversy also reflects badly on Henan, where people already face provincial prejudice. Henan is often characterized as a poor and unrefined province, associated with phone scammers or people who would even steal manhole covers to sell them for scrap metal, causing dangerous situations.

The Midi Festival controversy has perpetuated these stereotypes about the people of Henan, much to the dismay of local residents who have been actively working to challenge and dispel public biases against the province.

 
Rock ‘n’ Roll Chaos
 

While many Weibo users come to Nanyang’s defense, there are also those who stress that the local authorities should have taken more steps to improve security around the festival site.

Image by Midi, reposted by @后沙月光本尊 .

Others, however, do not agree. They argue that the Midi Festival, in Woodstock style, is about chaos, rock ‘n’ roll, and freedom. They think that the festival should not be overly controlled and that people should not blame the organization or local governments for not looking after their stuff.

Festival attendees and dedicated rock music enthusiasts argue that Midi, Nanyang, and the Chinese fans and musicians turned the festival into a great success.

Photos on Xiaohongshu capturing the atmosphere at Midi in Nanyang.

They suggest that the theft incident should not be attributed to them nor reflect badly on China’s thriving music scene; it was simply the result of immoral behavior from a few individuals who failed to grasp the spirit of the event.

Meanwhile, the entire incident has not just triggered anger; it has also become a source of banter and online jokes.

Some Henan natives are not exactly helping to promote their home province. One widely-shared comment referred to the Henan bank protests, stating: “If even the money we deposit in the bank can disappear, it’s no surprise that things can go missing at a music festival.”

By Manya Koetse and Miranda Barnes

with contributions by Miranda Barnes

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Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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China Arts & Entertainment

Leaked Audio Clip of Deceased Pop Star Coco Lee Denouncing ‘Sing! China’ Sparks Anger on Chinese Social Media

The leaked Coco Lee recording has been dominating online discussions, with one related hashtag receiving over 2,6 billion (!) views on Weibo.

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A leaked audio recording of the late superstar Coco Lee discussing her negative experiences with Chinese talent show Sing! China (中国好声音/The Voice of China) has become the no 1 searched topic on Weibo these days. The accusations against the popular show have shaken up China’s entertainment circles and the online condemnation of ethical standards in the industry also has offline consequences.

Coco Lee (李玟), an iconic Hong Kong-born pop star who had been active in the music industry for nearly three decades, tragically ended her own life on July 5th of this year. Her passing unveiled her previously hidden struggle with depression, exposing a more vulnerable side to her glamorous and impeccable image. Later, public discussions about Coco Lee focused on her marriage and family situation.

That is until this week, when a troubling audio clip featuring Coco Lee was exposed in which the singer accused the production team of talent show Sing! China (a revamped editon of The Voice of China), alleging mistreatment. This revelation has sparked public discontent and reshaped public perceptions of both the singer and the show.

The 9-minute-long audio recording surfaced on Weibo on August 17, originating from undisclosed sources. It presented a candid and emotionally charged narrative of Coco Lee’s experiences as a mentor/judge on the talent show.

Sing! China (中国好声音) is a music competition show broadcasted by Zhejiang TV (浙江卫视) and produced by Star (CM) Holdings Ltd. It is the Chinese version of the international reality television singing competition franchise The Voice, based on the reality singing show The Voice of Holland.

Not long after Coco Lee’s passing, fans raised concerns about the alleged unpleasant experiences Coco had with Sing! China and its production team back in 2022, during the recording of the seventh season. This included a fall that resulted in a leg injury, which further exacerbated Coco Lee’s already declining mental and physical health condition.

The leaked recording of Coco Lee’s experiences on the show primarily covers several points:

◼︎ First, while she was secretly battling breast cancer, Coco Lee chose to participate in The Voice of China to support young music enthusiasts. She joined without even knowing what the exact compensation would be.

◼︎ Coco Lee disagreed with the show’s competition format, which eliminated contestants without assigning scores. She advocated for fairness but faced resistance from the program. The production team allegedly even physically confronted her, grabbing her clothes, and a director’s assistant threatened her to leave immediately.

◼︎ Coco spoke out for contestant Fige (菲戈), who she thought faced unfair treatment. A video of her defending Fige circulated online, pressuring the production team to address the issue. They eventually gave Fige another chance in the show but demanded that Coco Lee would clarify on Weibo that there were no problems with the production team, attributing the issue to misunderstandings.

◼︎ On the final recording day of Sing! China on October 14th, despite Coco Lee’s declining health—complaining of numbness and loss of warmth in her left leg—she chose not to use a wheelchair or crutches. She wanted to maintain her appearance by wearing high heels. However, the production team denied her request to have guest artist Wang Zepeng stand by her side.

◼︎ Last, following the show’s airing, Coco Lee expressed deep disappointment. She felt as if her efforts and dedication were invisible, and her body had suffered for the sake of the show.

By now, the related Weibo hashtag “Leaked Recording of Coco Lee Denouncing ‘Voice of China’ Before her Death” (#李玟生前控诉中国好声音录音曝光#) has received a staggering 2,6 billion views.

After the recording was exposed, the production team behind Sing! China issued a late-night statement on August 17. The statement said:

“Recently, some self-media accounts have spread maliciously edited audio clips regarding Coco Lee denouncing ‘The Voice of China’ before her death, in 2022. This is disresprectful to the deceased and also seriously damages the show’s image. We strongly condemn it. As a coach on ‘Sing! China’ 2022, Ms. Coco Lee fully devoted herself to her work. Any misunderstandings that might have come up during the period have already been dealt with. Out of respect for the deceased, we won’t go into this matter too much and we will always remember her true dedication to the show. Let the deceased rest in peace!”

Statement by “Sing! China”

Although the talent show accused netizens of editing the audio recordings, Coco Lee’s own sister confirmed the authenticity of the recording. A related hashtag garned over 400 million views (#李玟姐姐称网传视频属实#).

 
Sending Ripples Through China’s Entertainment Sphere
 

By now, the Coco Lee audio clip has completely shaken up China’s entertainment circles and has been dominating social media platforms. Many Coco Lee fans, as well as regular netizens, have united in outrage over her alleged mistreatment.

Other Chinese celebrities have also voiced their support for Coco Lee. The hashtag “Celebrities Speaking Out for Coco Lee” (#为李玟发声的明星#) has garnered over 170 million views on Weibo by now. Respected Chinese stars such as Jin Xing (金星), Hang Hong (韩红), Yang Pei-an (杨培安) say they believe Coco Lee and hope for justice.

Following the viral spread of the clip, ‘Jammy’ Li Jiajie, a previous contestant on Sing! China, also expressed his solidarity with Coco Lee on Weibo and further condemned the show. He accused the program of engaging in practices such as position buying, enforcing extensive binding contracts, and showing disregard for rules and disrespect towards contestants.

The next morning, however, Li’s posts were removed and he suddenly issued a statement expressing that the comments he made were not actually “based on facts,” making apologies and asking netizens to refrain from spreading misinformation (#李嘉捷向好声音致歉#). If anything, Li’s words and their sudden disappearance caused more confusion and added fuel to the fire.

“This only further strenghthens my believe that Sing! China is rotten to the core,” a popular comment said.

 
Online Crusade Against Zhejiang TV
 

As public indignation grew, people started shifting the blame from the Sing! China show to the broadcaster behind the program, Zhejiang Television (浙江卫视), as well as producer Star Holdings (星空华文传媒).

Some netizens even coined the term “Murderer TV” (杀人卫视) to refer to Zhejiang TV, pointing out other disturbing incidents associated with this network’s reality shows.

As early as 2013, Zhejiang TV was condemned by netizens for “disregarding human life” after a young team assistant drowned during a training session for the show Celebrity Splash China.

One of the most notable cases mentioned is the tragic death of 35-year-old actor Godfrey Gao (高以翔) during the filming of the sports reality show Chase Me (追我吧) by Zhejiang TV in 2019. The Taiwanese-Canadian model and actor reportedly suffered a heart attack while on set. Afterward, the show faced criticism for pushing contestants to physical exhaustion and reportedly failing to implement proper safety measures – both factors allegedly contributing to Gao’s unexpected death.

The massive online critique on the TV station also has some potential offline consequences. On social media platforms such as Douban, netizens have compiled lists of sponsors for the upcoming 2023 Sing! China season, urging others to join them in boycotting them.

According to Bloomberg, producer Star Holdings witnessed a significant decline in its stock by 23%, marking the largest drop since the company’s listing in December. This decrease resulted in the eradication of approximately $1.5 billion in market value from the stock, which had surged to more than quadruple its initial value at its highest point.

Rather than solely targeting Zhejiang TV, some netizens have implicated the broader Chinese entertainment industry for putting too much pressure on the people working on their programs. They argue that the industry’s prioritization of viewership and profitability has seemingly contributed to the blurring of ethical boundaries across the sector, and netizens have collectively been calling for more transparency and fairness in China’s entertainment industry.

For now, people are demanding that Sing! China should stop airing until they have corrected their mistakes; Zhejiang TV should critically do a self-inspection and publicly disclose the results. Lastly, audiences are waiting for a public apology to Coco Lee from Sing! China, and an acknowledgement that those involved should be penalized.

Many believe that the truth will eventually always come to light. The fact that Coco Lee, from beyond her grave, managed to cause such a storm in the Chinese entertainment realm is yet another testament to her influence in China’s pop culture and her pursuit of justice within a profit-oriented industry. Weeks after her death, it is her voice that has managed to make a huge impact in China, and there is a hopeful sentiment that the current shock following the recording will bring about positive changes in the future.

By Ruixin Zhang and Manya Koetse

Part of featured image via Nextapple.com

Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our newsletter and get access to our latest articles:

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