Marriage

Anime is one of Japan’s best-known global exports, and it is hardly surprising that anime has maintained its popularity in China even amid the highs and lows of China-Japan relations, not least with the two biggest releases in recent years, The First Slam Dunk and Suzume. Zaobao’s China Desk examines the appeal of anime.

As China faces a dire population crisis of ageing population and declining birth rates, public discussion on female reproductive rights have gained attention. Assisted reproductive technologies such as egg freezing has become a sought-after option for women looking to delay child bearing, but it remains a contentious issue in China. Lianhe Zaobao's China Desk tells us more.

As Chinese youths face pressures on all fronts, from education to job hunting and even finding love, they are finding some solace in prayers to gods. But a recent article from state media denouncing such behaviours has sparked uproar among the youths, claiming that the authorities are far removed from the problems young people face today.

While a bride price or dowry is a marriage custom in China, the monetary value of the bride price has been getting out of hand in many places. At the top of the list is Jiangxi province, where bride prices can go as high as US$116,000. Zaobao’s China Desk examines the phenomenon and what is being done about it.

Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Peter Ong looks into why Asian countries are facing a declining population, especially those that have witnessed successful economic transformation. What social conditions have led to the staggeringly low birth rates? And is migration a solution?

The post-50s Chinese generation of intellectuals who were heavily influenced by Mao had the practice of leaving their children behind as they single-mindedly sought to achieve success abroad. US academic Wu Guo remarks that this generation of people who had been sent down to the rural areas, travelled abroad, and finally gained a foothold and settled down in the US, have always been motivated by a religious zeal for chasing a dream.

The prolonged implementation of Covid-19 control measures has caused a significant socioeconomic impact in China, notably leading to the decline in marriage, divorce and birth rates, as well as the increase in youth unemployment. While the situation is more complex than what the data show, Chinese observers believe that both external and internal factors are at play.

The use of “national swear” (国骂) in the Chinese language has been a topic of discussion for the past century, with its derogatory nature towards women long known. From seemingly harmless insults to women’s intelligence to malicious debasing of female ancestors, why is the use of such language still prevalent on the internet today?

In China’s rural areas, despite traditional pressures to get married, young men are finding themselves in a difficult position as the high gender imbalance has led to a short supply of marriageable women. Furthermore, men who are not well-off cannot find wives, with many of the women looking to marry men with better prospects in other towns and cities as a means of upward social mobility. These social problems have led to the abduction and trafficking of women in rural China. Zaobao correspondent Wong Siew Fong visits some villages to find out more about these crimes.