China tackles ‘masculinity crisis’ with gym classes

BEIJING • Chinese education officials are demanding extra gym classes in an effort to turn schoolboys into more manly men.

better gym instructors and more male teachers should be recruited to “cultivate masculinity,” ministers have told schools and local governments.

It came in response to a political adviser’s suggestion last year that Chinese boys were becoming too effeminate, describing them as “weak, self-effacing and timid,” traits that would constitute “a threat to the development and survival of our nation.”

China’s “masculinity crisis” has long concerned authorities, fuelled in part by fears that its one-child policy, which lasted over three decades, has produced a generation of men that cannot fulfil social responsibilities such as serving in the army.

The idea that more sports classes would shape boys into “tough” men was ridiculed for being out of touch and discriminating against women.

“The word choice is very improper,” wrote one person online.

“by using this term ‘increasing masculinity’ means that physical weakness equals lack of masculinity. That’s just wrong.”

Another, referring to the gender imbalance caused by the one-child policy and a cultural preference for sons, wrote: “This country has millions more men than women. No other country in the world has such a twisted sex ratio. They still think it’s not masculine enough?”

Others, however, supported the idea: “If men lose their masculinity, who can protect China’s sovereignty along the border?” wrote one.

Chinese authorities have in recent years grown alarmed over a perceived “masculinity crisis,” influenced by South Korean pop culture, where male celebrities and boy bands have popularized a softer, more effeminate look, dubbed “tender fresh meat.”

Chinese video-streaming site iqiyi provoked uproar in 2019 by blurring out the ears of male actors wearing jewelry.

The altered images of the men in popular shows were ridiculed after attracting hundreds of millions of views online.

Schools have also tried a range of experiments, introducing boys-only classes with subjects considered more suitable for males, including martial arts, computer repair and rock music.