Left-Behind Men and Rebellious Women — Dating, Relationships and the Gender Imbalance in China

China In Context

China's one child policy may have ended a decade ago — but its consequences are still being felt — not least in the continuing gender imbalance in the country's population: for several decades, the combination of restrictions on family size with traditional attitudes favouring male children, especially in rural areas, led to many female babies being aborted. China is currently estimated to have at least thirty million more men than women — and a new documentary film explores the impact this has had, particularly on young men from the countryside, who can struggle to find a mate in China's increasingly competitive dating market. Director Violet Du Feng, previously shortlisted for an Oscar for her film 'Hidden Letters' about the secret Chinese women's language Nüshu, joins us to discuss 'The Dating Game', which follows three young men who go on a week long 'dating camp' run by a self-styled 'dating coach' in an attempt to reinvent themselves, and find love.

For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: [email protected]

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The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and are not necessarily those of the SOAS China Institute.
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SOAS China Institute (SCI)

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Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0