https://www.scmp.com/rss/328331/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com One of the most treacherous parts of any wedding is the shenanigans of friends and family; until granny gets involved. A 72-year-old grandmother with a wooden stick escorted her grandson and the bride home on their wedding day, protecting them from any potential horseplay after the big day. The incident, which went viral, happened in Guizhou province in southwest China and was recorded by the groom’s father, who thought the memory would be worth capturing. The groom, surnamed Jiang, was... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3176849/granny-wields-stick-fend-vulgar-wedding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3176849/granny-wields-stick-fend-vulgar-wedding?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 May 2022 01:00:17 +0000 More people are foregoing committed relationships or refusing to be romantically attached. Instead of spending time on multiple dating apps and risking a bad date, people are capitalising on their value as fun, attractive and successful individuals. Singlehood is no longer viewed as something to be ashamed of, and the “single positivity movement” is growing in the West as people are opting for self-growth. This new mindset of unattached existence, positively branded as “self-partnership”, has... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3172732/how-self-partner-why-emma-watson-and-other?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3172732/how-self-partner-why-emma-watson-and-other?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Apr 2022 20:15:15 +0000 One of the most difficult decisions for a bride ahead of her wedding is the choosing of bridesmaids. But for Chinese couples who struggle with this dilemma, a new service has emerged: renting them. Huihui, a 22-year-old entrepreneur from Shandong province in eastern China, has joined the burgeoning bridesmaid-for-hire industry and turned it into a career for herself. According to Shandong Business News, the young woman has not only been a bridesmaid for over a dozen weddings, but she has also... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3172421/not-too-beautiful-not-too-ugly-renting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3172421/not-too-beautiful-not-too-ugly-renting?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Mar 2022 10:04:19 +0000 Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, affectionately known as Big S to her fans, recently remarried. This may not sound like big news, but it was to an old flame she dated 20 years ago. They broke up because Koo Jun-yup, a South Korean disc jockey, chose his career over love, as his country’s entertainment industry was very strict about dating back then. So if you decide to rekindle love with an old flame, is having a mutual love language even more critical? And if so, how can you cultivate this love... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3171000/know-your-partners-love-language-understand-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3171000/know-your-partners-love-language-understand-how?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Mar 2022 20:15:21 +0000 Spousal spying could be as innocent as glancing over your partner’s shoulder to see who they are texting or what they’re looking at when browsing their socials. But in extreme cases, it can involve installing “stalkerware” on their phone to monitor their calls, texts, browser history, photos, location and even conversations. Whatever the form, all spying is motivated by a lack of trust and insecurity from the prying partner. If that’s what you’re doing right now, then here’s the bottom line: it... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3169047/your-spouse-spying-you-or-are-you-snooping-your-so?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3169047/your-spouse-spying-you-or-are-you-snooping-your-so?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Mar 2022 20:15:23 +0000 When Zhang Mingrong slipped and fell while carrying his paralysed wife on his back during a hike in 2021, an aggravated herniated disc meant he would not be able to summit Mount Taishan in Shandong province in eastern China. For most people, the injury would have been a minor delay before inevitably checking off a fun adventure that could be accomplished a few months later. But for Zhang, and his wife Kong Yan, it might have marked the end of an annual journey that had come to symbolise over a... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3169288/chinese-husband-carries-his-paralysed-wife?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3169288/chinese-husband-carries-his-paralysed-wife?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Mar 2022 11:11:29 +0000 Weddings can be a day to celebrate love, but they can also turn into nightmares that create stress for everyone involved. However, some stories stand apart from the rest. In Henan province in central China, the family of the bride refused to get out of the car unless they were paid a 66,000 yuan (US$10,400) “alighting fee”, which is a wedding custom, according to mainland media Miaodong Video. The video shows the frustrated groom’s parents waiting at the door for the bride with resigned... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3167521/quirky-china-us10400-alighting-fee-indignation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3167521/quirky-china-us10400-alighting-fee-indignation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Feb 2022 05:59:45 +0000 When the Black Mirror episode “San Junipero” aired on Netflix back in 2016, the notion of falling in love within a simulated reality seemed far away – but certainly not impossible. Six years on, our world has become more virtual than ever, as more people try VR-based dating experiences. Planet Theta, due to launch later this year, will allow users to take part in a multisensory – albeit virtual – experience with other users. All you need is a VR headset to access the platform. Whether it’s at... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3165692/dating-metaverse-you-need-some-ground-rules-avoid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3165692/dating-metaverse-you-need-some-ground-rules-avoid?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Feb 2022 20:15:17 +0000 Over two decades after his divorce, Wang Rulin, 62, decided it was time to give marriage another chance. It only took two weeks for the retiree, a former auxiliary police officer from Jiangsu province in eastern China, to find someone he believed could be a suitable partner. “We’ve been chatting happily online and are seeing each other after the Lunar New Year. She is nine years younger than me and has a good pension scheme. Of course, she is healthy,” he said. Wang did not find his potential... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3165047/chinas-growing-number-older-singles-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3165047/chinas-growing-number-older-singles-are?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Feb 2022 01:00:20 +0000 Falling in love is a truly magical feeling. Unfortunately for some, it seems like the harder you try, the more difficult it is to find the right person. It is not that we don’t deserve love or that our ideal partner doesn’t exist – more often than not, there’s a simple reason love hasn’t found us yet. Luckily, it is within our control to overcome this. A common obstacle to finding love is a tendency to stick to an established, but unsuccessful, dating pattern. The way you present yourself to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3162463/how-find-love-2022-dating-tips-expert-and-questions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3162463/how-find-love-2022-dating-tips-expert-and-questions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Jan 2022 20:15:20 +0000 A provincial court in eastern China said in an article on Sunday that people cannot file for divorce if they only cite “adultery” as a reason for the break-up, causing a public uproar. The court in Shandong argued that because most people in affairs do not live with their lovers, cheating fails to meet the “cohabitation” standard that is a part of Chinese divorce laws. “When a married person is caught cheating, their behaviour is not cohabitation as long as they do not live with the lover for a... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3162079/adultery-not-reason-file-divorce-chinese-courts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/article/3162079/adultery-not-reason-file-divorce-chinese-courts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jan 2022 01:00:25 +0000 Around the world, reports of celebrity artists caught with prostitutes have long been a staple diet of tabloid journalism and table talk. Often, the artists involved suffer an intense and short period of public shame and humiliation but their careers are not seriously affected and they are allowed to continue to enchant their audiences with their artistic talents. A case in point is Hugh Grant, the British actor who was arrested in Los Angeles in 1995 with a sex worker known as “Divine Brown”... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3154037/china-shouldnt-cancel-piano-prince-li-yundi-over-one-night-sex?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3154037/china-shouldnt-cancel-piano-prince-li-yundi-over-one-night-sex?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Oct 2021 01:45:09 +0000 Many of us have heard the phrase “addicted to love” – maybe you’ve heard English rock singer Robert Palmer’s take on the said addiction blasting across the airwaves at some point. But what you may not have heard is the term “limerence”. This describes an obsessive state of mind in which one experiences intense desire – be it romantic or non-romantic – for another person. It goes beyond love, and is a biochemical process likened to drug addiction. In some cases, it can have serious consequences... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3149119/love-addiction-symptoms-why-such-strong-desire-bad-us-when-its-one-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3149119/love-addiction-symptoms-why-such-strong-desire-bad-us-when-its-one-way?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Sep 2021 18:30:22 +0000 MADE IN JAPAN Five years ago, I had the good fortune to meet Aya, a lovely young lady working in Tokyo’s financial district. Aya’s career was accelerating fast, and in her late-20s, recently married, she was now looking to start a family. It was refreshing to hear her excitement, given all the negativity around Japan’s “lost generation”, and their lack of babies. And it seemed many of her friends were like-minded and wanted babies too! The proviso was that they found affordable childcare so they... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3144889/japans-message-china-baby-boom-isnt-going-happen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3144889/japans-message-china-baby-boom-isnt-going-happen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Aug 2021 23:00:09 +0000 The harsh reality facing female sex workers in Hong Kong, and the world over, is they are often marginalised by society even though most have been forced into their profession by economic circumstances beyond their control. For women and young girls needing help, support can be hard to come by, but Teen’s Key – Young Women Development Network, is one group providing a safe, supportive and non-judgmental environment for those who need it. Bowie Lam Po-yee, founder and executive director of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3137234/spirit-hong-kong-awards-citys-sex-workers-one-group-aiming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3137234/spirit-hong-kong-awards-citys-sex-workers-one-group-aiming?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jun 2021 03:00:00 +0000 It is now obvious that a clear majority of Hongkongers have no problem whatsoever with gay people and oppose any form of discrimination against us. We can presume, therefore, that a majority also support the hosting of the Gay Games in Hong Kong in 2022. An overwhelming majority of international businesses, which the government seems desperate to cling on to, does too. Regina Ip’s support for the Games is welcome – I rarely agree with her on anything but her support for LGBT people is consistent... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3136940/hong-kong-supports-gay-games-and-lgbt-rights-legco-does-not-reflect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3136940/hong-kong-supports-gay-games-and-lgbt-rights-legco-does-not-reflect?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jun 2021 22:14:00 +0000 Some mainland wives are feeding their husbands drugs that induce impotence to prevent or stop them from cheating, according to a social media post.  The post, which was reportedly written by someone trying to expose the online shops that sell the drugs, claimed a handful of wives had been secretly feeding their husbands diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen drug, to ensure they cannot perform sexually and, the logic goes, ditch their mistresses. Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported that... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3131400/viral-social-media-post-claims-chinese-wives-are-secretly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3131400/viral-social-media-post-claims-chinese-wives-are-secretly?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Apr 2021 06:48:03 +0000 Over three months after it went into effect, China’s newly instated cooling-off period for divorces remains unpopular among large swathes of society, as proven by the fierce backlash a local newspaper received for trying to defend the measure.  In an article on Tuesday, the Hangzhou Daily, which covers the city of Hangzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, tried to prove that the cooling-off period effectively prevented impulsive divorces. The law, which went into effect on January 1, 2021,... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3128583/newspaper-backlash-signals-unpopularity-chinas-divorce-cooling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3128583/newspaper-backlash-signals-unpopularity-chinas-divorce-cooling?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Apr 2021 08:00:16 +0000 A man who was publicly shamed online after he posted a dating advertisement stirred a debate with an article he penned that claims ordinary Chinese men cannot meet society’s expectations for finding love. Zhang Kunwei, a 28-year-old Tsinghua University graduate, said his personal experience highlights the reality that men must be rich, handsome and full of free time to attract a partner.  Zhang received a flood of abuse online last week from people who criticised a photo of him travelling in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3128537/man-fat-shamed-dating-advertisement-says-ordinary-men-cant-meet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3128537/man-fat-shamed-dating-advertisement-says-ordinary-men-cant-meet?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Apr 2021 01:03:52 +0000 We all express desire differently, and sexual intimacy is not always like it is in films and television, where both partners are turned on instantaneously and get down to business any time and anywhere they want.  There is nothing wrong if you are the type who needs time to warm up to sex, or if you and your partner have varying sex drives.  Some people need to be in the mood for sex, and to get to that stage they need to be stimulated in whatever ways fire them up. Others can be turned on and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3126148/sexual-desire-comes-two-flavours-find-yours-and-your?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3126148/sexual-desire-comes-two-flavours-find-yours-and-your?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Mar 2021 18:30:17 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3125166/bangladeshs-transgender-anchor-perfect-soup-dumpling-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3125166/bangladeshs-transgender-anchor-perfect-soup-dumpling-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Mar 2021 08:00:13 +0000 A Chinese lawmaking official has suggested that the country consider mandatory marriage and dating courses in universities to reduce tragedies caused by toxic relationships.  Yu Xinwei, a legislative deputy from the National People’s Congress, China’s legislature, said college students are less likely to commit “extreme acts” with “a proper understanding of love and relationships.” The proposal comes as a series of high-profile homicides and suicides have captured society’s attention.   In... https://www.scmp.com/society/can-mandatory-university-courses-cure-toxic-relationships/article/3124539?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/can-mandatory-university-courses-cure-toxic-relationships/article/3124539?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Mar 2021 10:08:19 +0000 China’s National Health Commission has claimed medical risks and ethical issues are behind its ban on single women freezing their eggs. The commission’s stance has come under fire from Chinese internet users, who described the ban as discriminatory and said it deprived women of their right to have children later in life. In China, assisted reproductive technology is largely used to help married women with fertility issues. Medical regulations deny single women access to treatments for in vitro... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3123213/china-reinforces-ban-single-women-freezing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3123213/china-reinforces-ban-single-women-freezing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Feb 2021 10:45:12 +0000 China is staring at a looming demographic crisis, but one expert’s proposal to matchmake urban “leftover” women with rural men has been widely mocked for being out of touch. Wu Xiuming, deputy secretary-general of the Shanxi Think Tank Development Association, a non-governmental organization in central China that specializes in social development research, urged women to not to “feel afraid to go and live in rural villages.” In China, sheng nu, or “leftover women”, is a term used to describe... https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-expert-mocked-urban-rural-matchmaking-idea/article/3122760?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-expert-mocked-urban-rural-matchmaking-idea/article/3122760?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Feb 2021 10:30:50 +0000 China’s divorce lawyers couldn’t be busier dealing with couples filing divorce as a new law designed to slow the divorce process took effect. Experts say the law disadvantages women, especially those without income.  The central government’s controversial new law took effect on January 1 and requires couples to “cool off” for 30 days after applying to dissolve a marriage in case they changed their minds. Officials believed the new legislation would slow down China’s rapidly soaring divorce rates... https://www.scmp.com/society/chinas-new-divorce-law-sends-couples-rushing-file-divorce/article/3121988?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/chinas-new-divorce-law-sends-couples-rushing-file-divorce/article/3121988?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Feb 2021 09:35:23 +0000 Local and regional Chinese governments are cracking down on couples file for “fake divorces” to buy multiple homes. In China, families are restricted by rules that limit the number of homes they can own – a number that varies between major cities. However, resourceful residents keen to buy into residential investment opportunities have started filing for divorce as a tool to circumvent the restrictions. In Shanghai, a person with a hukou, or permanent residency, is legally entitled to buy two... https://www.scmp.com/society/sham-divorces-are-driving-chinas-overheated-property-market/article/3119456?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/sham-divorces-are-driving-chinas-overheated-property-market/article/3119456?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Jan 2021 10:11:26 +0000 Sex has come out on top as one of the most important factors in relationships thriving and surviving during the coronavirus pandemic, a new study has revealed. While previously it was thought that sex was not high on the list of reasons that could be attributed to a relationship’s success, it seems coronavirus lockdowns are now largely being praised for helping couples improve their lives together. A new study by Chinese scientists found that sex was three times more important than social or... https://www.scmp.com/health/sex-time-corona-how-couples-are-coping-during-global-pandemic/article/3117426?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/sex-time-corona-how-couples-are-coping-during-global-pandemic/article/3117426?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jan 2021 11:40:20 +0000 A Chinese woman canceled her marriage and is getting divorced in a classic example of a storm in a D-cup. The woman in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou became enraged after her husband’s traditional wedding gift of lingerie was two sizes too small. The pair had been legally married but were holding a belated celebration for friends and family. They had been in a relationship for about three years.  The bride’s dumping of her husband for the unforgivable faux pas played out during a... https://www.scmp.com/society/lingerie-gift-results-collapse-marriage-china/article/3117197?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/lingerie-gift-results-collapse-marriage-china/article/3117197?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jan 2021 09:47:06 +0000 Poor sexual literacy in China has contributed to a rapid growth in the number of people who have contracted HIV over the past decade, even as the disease continues to abate worldwide.  The Chinese National Health Commission reported that 131,000 people contracted the disease in 2019. In 2007 the number of new cases was just under 33,000. In 2018, the Commission said it estimated new HIV patients are growing at a rate of about 80,000 people per year, although that data does not distinguish... https://www.scmp.com/health/sexual-illiteracy-creating-hiv-crisis-china/article/3112563?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/sexual-illiteracy-creating-hiv-crisis-china/article/3112563?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Dec 2020 11:22:50 +0000 A Chinese state-affiliated newspaper attacked an online class that advertised teaching women how to “seduce men and save marriages” on Monday, calling it “poisonous chicken soup.”  China Women’s News, an official newspaper from All China Women’s Federation, a women’s rights NGO with ties to the communist party, criticized a consulting brand named Lingtongtong in a commentary that read:  “Such techniques do not show the autonomy of women, but rather keep women confined within the realm of family... https://www.scmp.com/society/sincere-seduction-no-tricks-just-honesty-charm-men/article/3112259?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/sincere-seduction-no-tricks-just-honesty-charm-men/article/3112259?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Dec 2020 10:41:21 +0000 Every weekend, hundreds of parents across major Chinese cities head to public parks to take part in loosely organized speed dating. But they aren’t trying to find love for themselves; they are there on behalf of their adult children.  These “marriage markets” have been a curious phenomenon in China for about 20 years. Chinese parents often go to them for their children, usually without getting their consent, believing they are helping the family.  But these markets also illustrate a spiritual... https://www.scmp.com/society/markets-where-chinese-parents-peddle-love-their-adult-children/article/3111003?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/markets-where-chinese-parents-peddle-love-their-adult-children/article/3111003?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Nov 2020 11:51:27 +0000 China has made sex education mandatory for schoolchildren, as growing awareness of sexual harassment and gender inequality prompts calls from parents to improve the country’s sexual literacy.  For the first time, a revised law on protecting minors, passed by the top legislative body on October 17, requires schools and kindergartens to conduct “age-appropriate sex education” for children. It is unclear how the government plans to implement mandatory “sex education.” The law, which comes into... https://www.scmp.com/society/chinas-mandatory-sex-ed-classes-are-first-step-long-road/article/3108579?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/chinas-mandatory-sex-ed-classes-are-first-step-long-road/article/3108579?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2020 10:29:07 +0000 Every Tuesday and Thursday, China Trends takes the pulse of the Chinese social media to keep you in the loop of what the world’s biggest internet population is talking about. Three million people tested for Covid-19 in two days Officials in the Chinese city of Qingdao tested three million residents, or about one-third of the city’s population, for Covid-19 after three people tested positive for the virus. The city, in the eastern province of Shandong, hoped to stop a new outbreak in its tracks.... https://www.scmp.com/society/china-trends-city-tests-three-million-covid-two-days-and-dating-course-college/article/3105312?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/china-trends-city-tests-three-million-covid-two-days-and-dating-course-college/article/3105312?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Oct 2020 10:26:23 +0000 Every Tuesday and Thursday, Inkstone Explains unravels the ideas and context behind the headlines to help you understand news about China. Being LGBTQ in China is complicated. In many ways, Chinese society at large represses the culture – coming out can lead to severe professional and personal consequences. And yet, gay communities are allowed to exist openly in many places without repercussions. China is a place where authorities routinely censor homosexual acts in movies and television, but it... https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-explains-what-it-be-gay-china/article/3090187?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/inkstone-explains-what-it-be-gay-china/article/3090187?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jun 2020 04:33:11 +0000 It took years – and a move to New Zealand – before Cui Le felt ready to tell his story. Cui was working as a linguistics lecturer at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in the southern Chinese province of Guangzhou when he publicly identified as gay in 2015. In August of that year a student named Qiubai, at Sun Yat-sen University, sued the Chinese education ministry over textbooks that described homosexuality as a “disease.” The school counselor informed Qiubai’s parents of her sexuality... https://www.scmp.com/society/teacher-came-out-gay-china-and-paid-price/article/3086974?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/teacher-came-out-gay-china-and-paid-price/article/3086974?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2020 10:54:51 +0000 Women’s rights advocates have applauded a proposal to China’s top advisory body to expand access to assisted reproductive technology. This includes technologies such as in vitro fertilization and egg freezing – medical practices that are difficult to access for unmarried women in China. Under the country’s existing laws, unmarried women and couples who do not “comply with the population and birth-planning regulations” are banned from using those services at Chinese hospitals and agencies. Peng... https://www.scmp.com/health/unmarried-women-might-get-win-gender-equality-china/article/3085637?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/unmarried-women-might-get-win-gender-equality-china/article/3085637?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2020 11:47:48 +0000 Psychologist Huang Jing has been busier than ever since the coronavirus outbreak began in China late last year.  More married couples are seeking her services, as their relationships are pushed to breaking point by the pressures of disease and enforced social isolation, she says. Based in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, Huang has both domestic and overseas clients.  She said the pandemic was putting a “magnifying glass” on relationships, bringing cracks into sharper focus, with many... https://www.scmp.com/society/coronavirus-how-social-isolation-creates-grounds-divorce/article/3081028?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/coronavirus-how-social-isolation-creates-grounds-divorce/article/3081028?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2020 11:02:27 +0000 In 2019, Inkstone published some 250 issues and about 1,500 stories about China. By our rough estimate, that’s more than 1 million words, or about the length of the whole Harry Potter series.  That’s a lot of news, owing in part to an eventful year. But as unrest in Hong Kong and tensions between the United States and China dominated the headlines for months on end, there were stories that we liked that you might have missed. At the year’s end, we have put together a list of interesting, but... https://www.scmp.com/china/2019-9-china-stories-about-love-money-power-and-identity/article/3043908?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/2019-9-china-stories-about-love-money-power-and-identity/article/3043908?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Dec 2019 10:00:13 +0000 Under Chinese law, unmarried women are not allowed to freeze their eggs for in vitro fertilization. Xu Zaozao, a 31-year-old single woman, says it is time to change the rules to give women more control over their bodies. Xu has filed a lawsuit against the hospital that denied her request to freeze her eggs. The case brought attention to the plight of women struggling to access IVF in China. https://www.scmp.com/health/single-chinese-woman-wants-country-allow-her-freeze-her-eggs/article/3043626?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/single-chinese-woman-wants-country-allow-her-freeze-her-eggs/article/3043626?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Dec 2019 10:30:23 +0000 Nearly 200,000 people have appealed to the Chinese authorities to recognize same-sex marriage, in a month-long push sparked by a review of the country’s civil law provisions. The country’s LGBT community and its supporters have been writing to legislators and leaving comments in favor of a change to China’s marriage laws during a public comment period which ended on Friday with more than 190,000 people responding. Among them is Ling Gu, a lesbian from Wuhan in the central Chinese province of... https://www.scmp.com/society/chinas-lgbt-community-push-legalize-same-sex-marriage/article/3040184?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/chinas-lgbt-community-push-legalize-same-sex-marriage/article/3040184?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Dec 2019 10:10:11 +0000 For Beijing’s elderly people, Changpuhe Park, next to Tiananmen Square, has long been a popular spot for lonely hearts to meet and find a match for their twilight years, but the search for a companion is complicated, particularly for those without a sizeable pension and other assets. Zhang Daisheng, a 65-year-old widower, wants to find a shrewd woman and, on one of his few trips to the park, met someone just like that. After chatting with him a few times she told him, “If you think we are a good... https://www.scmp.com/society/single-retirees-beijing-looking-love/article/3035389?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/single-retirees-beijing-looking-love/article/3035389?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Oct 2019 11:00:45 +0000 A wealthy Chinese tech bro has stirred up a hornet’s nest with a brutally honest online ad looking for love. Actually, he doesn’t talk about love at all. Instead, he lists his salary, job, education, financial assets and family background and gives a detailed description of the kind of woman he is looking for.  The ad was posted on the Twitter-like Weibo last week by an online influencer, Beijing Big Potato, on behalf of the man, who says he’s an employee at tech giant Alibaba. Inkstone, which... https://www.scmp.com/society/what-happens-when-rich-chinese-tech-bro-looks-love-online/article/3030937?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/what-happens-when-rich-chinese-tech-bro-looks-love-online/article/3030937?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2019 10:46:23 +0000 Chris Zou had just broken up with her boyfriend when she learned she was pregnant. She shared the news with him and, despite his opposition, decided to raise the baby alone. Three years later, Zou is blazing a legal trail for China’s growing number of single moms. Zou, 43, works at a multinational company in Shanghai. She has managed to provide for her son Xinxin alone and has navigated the complex process of getting him identity papers.  But she has so far been unable to make a claim for her... https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-woman-sues-government-single-parents-rights/article/3027660?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/chinese-woman-sues-government-single-parents-rights/article/3027660?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Sep 2019 10:14:44 +0000 Like many single women her age, 24-year-old Sunny Xu has received lots of advice from friends and family about dating. A native of the eastern city of Wenzhou, she has met a few men online — and has been let down by those who didn’t measure up to their profiles. Sounds like another day in online dating. “Some of them don’t know how to find a proper topic to start the conversation,” said Xu. “One time, someone asked why my online replies were slow – which was rude and irritating.” While online... https://www.scmp.com/tech/ai-powered-matchmakers-promise-find-singles-one/article/3024683?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/ai-powered-matchmakers-promise-find-singles-one/article/3024683?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Aug 2019 11:08:58 +0000 The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is the Qixi Festival. This year, that falls on August 7th. (It was August 17th last year.) It’s also known as China’s Valentine’s Day. In honor of the festival, we’re bringing you the tragic love story behind this festival: the tale of the humble cowherd and the heavenly weaver girl. https://www.scmp.com/china/qixi-festival-and-tale-cowherd-and-weaver-girl/article/3021830?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/qixi-festival-and-tale-cowherd-and-weaver-girl/article/3021830?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Aug 2019 10:44:05 +0000 In mid-June, more than 1,000 members of China's LGBT community and their friends and families embarked on a five-day holiday cruise making a round trip from China’s southern city of Shenzhen to Vietnam. Organized under the slogan “Be Yourself,” the cruise was described as a trip “without closets.” On board, passengers were able to take part in workshops and sharing sessions meant to help gay and lesbian people better connect with parents who often struggle to accept their children’s sexual... https://www.scmp.com/china/rainbow-cruise-chinese-sexual-minorities-relax-sea-ship/article/3020601?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/rainbow-cruise-chinese-sexual-minorities-relax-sea-ship/article/3020601?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2019 10:32:17 +0000 Macy felt great. Alan, the man she was dating, was good looking and apparently lived a life of luxury. They had met on the dating website Coffee Meets Bagel, then twice in person. He had seemed interested in getting to know her, Macy says. The “tall, handsome gentleman” told her he worked in marketing, and his Instagram feed opened a window on his luxury lifestyle. All seemed to be going well, until he asked her to join him on a visit to a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. “He asked me... https://www.scmp.com/society/dating-horror-scammers-target-love-seekers-hong-kong/article/3018318?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/dating-horror-scammers-target-love-seekers-hong-kong/article/3018318?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jul 2019 09:04:36 +0000 Chao Xiaomi considers the question: “Why are you not happy that you were born a man?” That’s because, she says, “in order to live like a man I should drink more, be stronger, have many girlfriends, play rugby – you know – do manly things.” Chao, who describes herself as gender fluid and prefers female pronouns, giggles as she covers her bright-red lipsticked mouth with a hand. We are seated in her vintage clothing shop, Equal, in the Beijing neighborhood of Gulou, known for its many surviving... https://www.scmp.com/society/what-its-be-transgender-china/article/3017987?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/what-its-be-transgender-china/article/3017987?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jul 2019 10:11:03 +0000 The break-up between Fan Bingbing, China’s highest-paid actress, and her actor fiance Li Chen has made headlines around the world. Fan, 37, and Chen, 40, got engaged in 2017. News of the breakup, which was announced on Fan’s official social media page, soon became one of the most searched terms on China's Twitter-like microblogging platform Weibo. But considering Fan’s fame, the reaction was fairly muted, with a relatively paltry 40 million views. Most of the messages expressed support for her... https://www.scmp.com/society/why-china-isnt-crying-about-actress-fan-bingbings-break/article/3016487?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/why-china-isnt-crying-about-actress-fan-bingbings-break/article/3016487?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jun 2019 10:21:44 +0000 Taiwanese actress and supermodel Lin Chi-ling has become the talk of the Chinese internet after announcing her marriage to Akira, a Japanese singer and actor. “I’m married. I feel so blessed to have your support,” the 44-year-old actress wrote on China’s Twitter-like Weibo on Thursday night. Lin met Akira, 37, during the production of a Japanese stage adaptation of the film Red Cliff, a period drama film set in ancient China starring the actress. News of Lin’s marriage prompted a deluge of... https://www.scmp.com/society/taiwanese-actress-lin-chi-ling-marries-akira-japanese-pop-singer/article/3013578?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/taiwanese-actress-lin-chi-ling-marries-akira-japanese-pop-singer/article/3013578?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jun 2019 09:40:13 +0000