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Dressing up for Gender Equality: Taiwanese “Men’s Skirt Week” Becomes a Viral Hit on Weibo
“Men’s Skirt Week” was organized to stand up for gender equality and support freedom of dress.

Published
4 years agoon
By
Gabi Verberg
A “Men’s Skirt Week” initiative at various Taiwanese schools to raise awareness on gender discrimination has become a social media hit.
Male students from both the New Taipei Municipal Banqiao Senior High School (台湾新北市板桥中学) and the National Taiwan University (国立台湾大学) were spotted wearing skirts to class last week. Photos of their outfit soon made their rounds on social media.
It was the student committee of the New Taipei Municipal Banqiao Senior High School that first came with the initiative of a “Men’s Skirt Week” from May 6-12, in an effort to fight for gender equality, break down existing gender stereotypes, and support freedom of dress.
To give male students extra motivation to participate in the event, the student committee provided thirty skirts in different sizes for their male peers to wear.
The hashtags “Taiwanese High School Boys Collectively Wear Skirts to School” (#台湾高中男生集体穿裙上学#) and “Breaking Gender Stereotypes: Taiwan High School Boys Wearing Skirts to School” (#打破性别刻板:台湾高中男生集体穿裙上学#) were already viewed over 235 million times on Weibo by Wednesday morning.
According to the Weibo page of magazine Gay Voice (同志之声), the organizers of the ‘Men Skirt Week’ said:
“Having men wearing skirts is just a statement. Our aim is to bring about real change in society regarding gender issues. Through this activity, we want students to feel they can be whoever they like to be, and at the same time, create an opportunity for people to support them.”
The organizers further stated that they did not want anyone to feel pressured to participate in the activities. They also asked people not to ridicule those taking part in the event, but to respect their freedom to wear what they want.
The initiative received much praise, not just on social media, but also from authorities. Gay Voice quoted the director of the New Taipei City Education Bureau, Zhang Mingwen (张明文), who stated: “This is a student-based activity promoting gender equality. Its intention is positive. The Education Bureau also feels this comes from a good place, and therefore we support [respect] it.”
Following the success of the initial initiative, student members from the Political Department of the National Taiwan University also decided to organize a ‘Men’s Skirt Day’ on May 13.
In a video produced by the Taiwanese news platform ETtoday, Ms. Lin (林), one of the organizers, explained that the event also supports those men who receive criticism for wearing ‘feminine’ clothes. Through events such as these, Lin says, they hope to convey the message that “not only girls can wear skirts,” adding: “Men can also wear skirts if they want to, and moreover, they can look beautiful in doing so.”
On Weibo, many who expressed their support for the activities wrote: “Every person should have the right to be whoever they want to be,” with others writing simple statements such as: “I support this” or “I’m against gender discrimination.”
While supporting the men’s skirt initiative, some netizens also expressed their admiration for Taiwan. “Inclusiveness and diversity are important conditions for social and cultural prosperity. Taiwan is so cool,” one Weibo user wrote. Another commenter wondered how long it would take before such an event would be acceptable in mainland China.
Despite the general praise for ‘Men’s Skirt Week,’ there are also those who attach little importance to the initiative or who straight out reject the idea of men wearing skirts. Especially under the Weibo post by Sina Military (新浪军事) on this news, the majority of commenters denounce the activities. Reactions range from people saying they are against gender discrimination but also feel that “this kind of behavior should not be encouraged” to people even calling it “unhealthy” and “sick.”
There are also plenty of people who just find the event funny or admire the beautiful long legs of the men wearing skirts. One netizen jokingly wrote: “I can’t support this. The skirts look better on these boys than on me!” Another Weibo user wondered how it was even possible for the boys in the pictures to have skinnier legs than her.
Although news of the event has gone trending on Chinese social media, few PRC state media reported on the issue.
In May of 2018, an event in which people gave out rainbow buttons at Beijing’s 798 park to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia (May 17/国际不再恐同日) was stopped by local guards who accused the organizers of holding an “illegal gathering.”
By Gabi Verberg
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©2019 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.

China Arts & Entertainment
Let’s Plant: China’s Variety Show “Become a Farmer” Is Harvesting Success Online
As iQIYI’s ‘Become a Farmer’ gains momentum, it highlights China’s growing trend of embracing rural themes in mainstream entertainment.

Published
2 days agoon
May 29, 2023
With its focus on hard farm work and meeting actual targets, Become a Farmer is a fresh breeze of air for China’s variety show business, especially among young Chinese viewers who appreciate the show’s authenticity and the calmness of the rural scenes that pose a stark contrast with stressful urban life.
The Chinese variety show Become A Farmer has achieved tremendous popularity in China recently through the iQIYI platform, which is often hailed as the Chinese equivalent of Netflix. Become A Farmer recently gained over 4.6 billion (!) views on Weibo through the hashtag #种地吧# (Zhǒng dì ba), which translates to “Let’s Plant” or “Let’s Farm” in English and also happens to be the show’s name in Chinese.
Produced by iQIYI and Blue Sky Media Group (BSMG), Become A Farmer (Young Men edition) is a documentary-style interactive reality show that revolves around the theme of farming, with actual farm work as its central focus.
The show handpicked ten young men out of 300 candidates to assemble a “farming team.” With unwavering dedication, they toiled for over 190 days, diligently cultivating 142.8 mu (approximately 95,200 square meters) of land. They actively engaged in every aspect of farm work, starting from planting a single seed and guiding the audience through the complete journey of rice germination, growth, flowering, and ultimately reaping the harvest.
Chinese netizens have drawn comparisons between the show and the British television documentary series Clarkson’s Farm. Playfully, they remarked that if Clarkson’s Farm were to be introduced in the Chinese market, it could aptly be renamed “Become A Farmer (Old Men Edition).”
Become A Farmer released its first episode on February 4 of this year, initially receiving limited attention. However, as subsequent episodes were released, the show started garnering increased interest, with the audience discovering the genuine dedication of the ten young men towards their farming endeavors – and that it was not just for show.

The show’s nomination for the Shanghai TV Festival, and its current rating on Douban.
Its rating on Douban, China’s IMDB, has climbed up to 8.9 out of 10. Meanwhile, the series has been nominated for the prestigious Magnolia Award for Best Variety Program at the 28th Shanghai TV Festival.
A Fresh Take on Chinese Idol Survival Shows
Become A Farmer initially caught the attention of many Chinese netizens through the humorous jokes of veteran comedian Pang Bo during the fifth season of the stand-up comedy competition Rock & Roast.
At that time, the show had not yet been aired but its format had already been introduced during a media conference, and Pang Bo (庞博) had heard about it.
In Pang’s joke, he compared the show to a farmer version of idol survival shows, proposing that the four individuals who made the greatest contributions to the final harvest could come together as a group, forming a new generation of F4 (referring to the popular Asian boy band), playfully dubbed “Farmer 4.”

Pang Bo joking about the upcoming show.
While Chinese netizens were initially amused by this joke, little did they realize that iQIYI was actually turning it into a reality, albeit without the comedic intent.
“Food is not something we can take lightly with jokes and banter, especially considering the size of our farmland, which spans approximately 140 mu and has the potential to provide sustenance for many people. This is a matter of responsibility and morality,” stated Yang Changling (杨长岭), the show’s director.
Normally, Chinese entertainers are compensated for their involvement in reality or variety shows, as they play a crucial role in generating engaging content. Such shows often seek out celebrities with a large online fan base to ensure a favorable viewership.
But Become A Farmer is different. Among the ten young men, no one is a typical celebrity that has a huge fan base online. Moreover, they are not paid for filming the show but have to earn from the land rented from local farmers through their own hard work.
To legally sell the products grown on their farmland, the ten young men took the step of registering an official company. This registration allowed Chinese netizens to verify the company’s information on the government website, providing evidence of the project’s authenticity. As the information about the company circulated, the related hashtag (#种地吧 开公司#) gained traction on Weibo, eventually trending when the ten young men received their official company certificate.

(Snapshot from the show /The ten young men received the certificate of their company)
Become A Farmer leans more towards being a documentary rather than a traditional entertainment program. To underscore its authenticity, a novel approach has been adopted in China’s variety show landscape. It airs live for one hour every day, beginning at 9:30 am, synchronizing with the young men’s start of work. This timing allows netizens, who typically commence their own workday around that time, to actively participate as ‘online supervisors,’ overseeing the ten young men’s daily tasks while starting on their own tasks of the day.
Through livestreaming on both Weibo and Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), the show creates a natural teaser for the edited reality series while embodying its interactive nature.
As an additional element, the ten young men occasionally share vlogs on Weibo and Douyin during the filming process. This unique combination of long-form reality show footage + livestreaming + vlogs allows the audience to closely follow and stay updated on the progress of the ten young men’s work over the span of more than 190 days.
The show’s concept of gathering relatively unknown young men aspiring to make a breakthrough in the entertainment industry bears resemblance to popular shows like Youth With You, also produced by iQIYI. However, Youth With You‘s third season was suspended in 2021 for wasting large amounts of milk amid the China’s strengthened efforts in eradicating wasting food; viewers were ecouraged to buy bottled Mengniu milk and scan QR codes inside the caps to vote for their favorite trainees, which led to fans buying tons of bottles only to vote and getting rid of the milk.
Clearly, iQIYI has learned from the past and taken a different approach with Become A Farmer. In this show, there are no milk-wasting competitions or cutthroat rivalries. Instead, the ten young men are united in their goal to complete the farm work together and to run the company and get rid of its debt.
Focus on Vital China Topics: Empowering Youth, Food Security, and Rural Revitalization
Various topics that are relevant in today’s China come together in Become a Farmer. The show also explicitly addressed its objectives in producing this diverse variety show and released a pre-episode to emphasize the importance of food security and shed light on the challenges faced by Chinese youth upon entering the workforce.
In recent years, China has placed significant emphasis on food security, with leaders repeatedly stressing the need to ensure that “the Chinese rice bowl is firmly held in our own hands.”
The China Agricultural Outlook Report (2023-2032), released on April 20, outlined the ongoing consolidation of China’s food security foundation for the next decade. Notably, all 103 million hectares of permanent farmland will be transformed into high-standard farmland. The report also highlighted plans to diversify import channels for agricultural products, improve the trade structure, and reduce grain imports by 19.7 percent over the next decade.
During the pre-episode of the show, an expert who provided training courses to ten young men emphasized the need to address the aging agricultural workforce in China’s agricultural development.
Simultaneously, in 2023, China witnessed a record-breaking number of graduates, reaching 11.58 million.
Given the increasing digitalization in agriculture, encouraging young people to pursue farming careers emerges as a viable solution. By becoming New Era Farmers (新农人) and actively participating in the nine tasks outlined in China’s “No. 1 central document” for 2023, which promotes rural vitalization comprehensively, young talent can contribute to the development of rural areas instead of solely pursuing white-collar jobs in urban areas.
A Rural Trend in Chinese Entertainment
The increasing appeal of rural life among young people in China is reflected in a survey conducted by the Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily (中国青年报社社会调查中心) in September 2022. The survey revealed that 70.9% of the respondents believed that the countryside has become more attractive to young individuals. Factors such as a slower pace of life, lower pressure, and reduced costs were cited as the main reasons why young people find rural areas appealing.
As transportation and internet connectivity have gradually improved, rural life in China is no longer seen as isolated and cut off from the rest of the world. This transformation has sparked a growing interest in living in the countryside, particularly among young people. The countryside’s allure lies in its simplicity, natural beauty, and the chance to escape the fast-paced and hectic city life.
This growing interest in rural life may explain the popularity of shows like Become a Farmer. The commitment demonstrated by the ten young men to their farm work has garnered applause from Chinese netizens. Overcoming challenges such as working in adverse weather conditions, assisting with difficult births for animals, and engaging in physically demanding tasks have showcased their dedication and hard work. These aspects have resonated with the audience and contributed to the show’s success.

(The ten young men are diligently digging drainage ditches in the farmland during chilly weather, working hard to ensure they meet the planting season deadline.)

Snapshot from the show: Jiang Dunhao, the oldest among the ten young men and chairman of the company, joins forces with He Haonan to support in the challenging task of aiding the delivery of difficult births for ewes. Together, they strive to save the life of a premature lamb, seeking guidance from a professional veterinarian through online assistance.
Originally planned to conclude after 39 episodes, the show’s production team has decided to extend it to 50 episodes due to the abundance of material gathered from over 190 days of farm work and the increasing interest and positive feedback from viewers. This extended episode count goes beyond the typical duration for a variety show, highlighting its exceptional popularity.
It is evident that iQIYI, the broadcasting platform behind the show, is keen on fulfilling its alleged social responsibility to promote the importance of food security and sustainable food production, farming, and showing that young individuals that they can thrive in rural areas.
Capitalizing on the success of the reality show, iQIYI has also released a teaser for an upcoming drama called Romance on the Farm (田耕纪), which also revolves around farming. This drama portrays a contemporary woman unexpectedly finding herself in the countryside during the Song Dynasty and embarking on a journey of farming, prosperity, and love alongside the enigmatic Shen Nuo.
In the last couple of years, there were several countryside-themed dramas that showcased China’s rural revitalization efforts and highlighted the involvement of younger generations in supporting their rural hometowns, such as On The Way to Hope (在希望的田野上) or The Story of Xing Fu (幸福到万家) which starred the renowned Chinese actress Zhao Liying.
The success of Become a Farmer, the upcoming Romance on the Farm, and the overwhelming enthusiasm among Chinese viewers for these shows suggest that farming has become the latest ‘hip’ trend in China’s entertainment industry. It seems that plowing fields and tending to crops have now found their place in the limelight. With the growing interest and excitement surrounding these shows, it’s safe to say that we can expect a blooming harvest of more Chinese productions focused on farm work and rural life in the near future.
Watch “Become a Farmer” on Youtube here (including English subtitles).
By Wendy Huang
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China Media
Meanwhile in Panda News: After More Than Two Decades, Yaya Returns to Beijing
From Memphis to Shanghai to Beijing: every step in Yaya’s journey is closely followed by China’s panda fans.

Published
3 days agoon
May 28, 2023
Yaya, the panda, made her way back to Beijing after a residence of more than two decades at the Memphis Zoo and completing her quarantine period in Shanghai. Now, netizens are advocating for the return of three other pandas currently residing in the United States.
It is time for the third ‘Meanwhile in Panda News‘ by What’s on Weibo to keep you updated on the trending panda topics, from the cute to the controversial.
This time, it is all about Yaya (丫丫), the panda that is trending on Weibo in various hashtags these days:
- #丫丫从上海出发画面# – The Scene of Yaya’s Departure from Shanghai (7.4 million views)
- #丫丫专机从上海起飞# – Yaya’s Special Aircraft Takes Off from Shanghai (450,000 views)
- #丫丫离开上海回京# – Yaya Leaves Shanghai to Return to Beijing (160 million views)
- #一起等丫丫回北京# – Let’s Wait Together for Yaya’s Return to Beijing (4,3 million views)
Panda Yaya became one of the most discussed pandas of this year. This female panda resided in the Memphis Zoo in the United States for most of her life and attracted significant attention on Chinese social media platforms after netizens expressed concern about her seemingly thin and unhealthy appearance.

Many netizens were concerned about Yaya due to the condition of her fur. Photo via Weibo user @如皋老猫.
Even though the Memphis care team stated that Yaya’s fur condition is related to her hormones and immune system, these online discussions further intensified in light of escalating tensions between the United States and China.
The concerns surrounding Yaya prompted an online campaign, with netizens advocating for Yaya’s return to China. After residing at the Memphis Zoo in the United States for two decades as part of a conservation and research project, Yaya’s second ten-year term had concluded, and the 23-year-old panda was set to return to Shanghai, China.
Yaya’s return in late April became a true social media spectacle, fuelled by state media outlets that created special posters and videos welcoming Yaya home.
Panda propaganda is the best kind of propaganda 😅 Chinese state media are turning panda YY’s return to China from Memphis Zoo into a big media show. Many fans have been anticipating her return for months already. pic.twitter.com/AAGJpgQi2y
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) April 27, 2023
Now, a month later, Yaya is trending again. This time, it is her move from Shanghai to Beijing that is hitting the trending lists. After finishing her quarantaine, Yaya’s new home will be in the Beijing Zoo. Yaya returned to China’s capital, where she was born, by airplane on May 28.

China’s flight home, via Chinese state media on Weibo.
While many people are cheering that Yaya has finally returned home, they are also sad that panda Lele is not with her. Lele (乐乐) was Yaya’s male partner, and the two arrived in Memphis together. Unfortunately, Lele passed away earlier this year due to heart disease.
Around 4 am in the morning on May 29, the official Weibo account of the Beijing Zoo posted a statement about Yaya’s return, confirming that the panda had arrived before 1 am on Monday morning.

A very early morning post by Beijing Zoo confirming the safe arrival of Yaya (screenshot of Weibo, via What’s on Weibo).
Beijing Zoo further wrote that Yaya has her own dedicated enclosure and will need some time to adjust to her new environment and will not be shown to the public for now. They did post a photo and a video of Yaya’s arrival, and promised to give more updates about Yaya via social media.
They also just posted this video 45 minutes ago, featuring Yaya's arrival. She's 23 and spent 20 years of her life in the US. Hope she'll soon get used to her new Beijing life.
PS in case you wondered, she was flying China Southern.🐼 pic.twitter.com/AAf5OVHQsF
— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) May 28, 2023
“Yaya has finally returned home,” some commenters said, “I hope she will have a happy and healthy life there.”
In the meantime, netizens have launched a new online campaign advocating for the repatriation of the pandas Xiao Qiji (小奇迹), Tiantian (添添), and Meixiang (美香), currently residing at the Washington National Zoo.

“They also wanna go home” poster advocating for the return of Chinese pandas Little Miracle, Tiantian, and Meixiang. Source: Weibo.com.
Those advocating for the return of the three pandas are also expressing concerns about their well-being and treatment at the Washington National Zoo. They worry that the pandas may not be receiving adequate food and are particularly concerned about Meixiang’s health.
In 2020, it was reported that the panda couple Meixiang and her partner Tiantian would minimally stay in Washington until December of 2023.

Another poster in the online campaign to advocate for the return home of the three pandas.
Concerned that Meixiang might face a similar fate to Yaya’s late partner Lele, panda enthusiasts on Weibo are urging for the prompt repatriation of the entire panda family. “I’m glad to hear good news about Yaya,” expressed one Weibo user, “Now, I hope we can get good news about Meixiang too.”
Read more panda news here.
By Manya Koetse
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Weibo Watch: China’s Farm Fever

Let’s Plant: China’s Variety Show “Become a Farmer” Is Harvesting Success Online

Meanwhile in Panda News: After More Than Two Decades, Yaya Returns to Beijing

‘Carpet Pacific’: A Timeline of the Cathay Pacific Scandal Through Weibo Hashtags

“The Frog in the Well”: China’s Condemnation of the G7 Summit
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