The Nanfang Home

The Nanfang / Blog

Love

Zhuhai Wants Lovers on Tandem Bicycles, So Many It Can Break a World Record

Posted: 05/22/2014 5:55 pm

tandem bicycle lovers zhuhai chinaFlying the world’s largest kite and having the world’s largest aquarium simply isn’t good enough for the people that live in China’s most livable city with the best air quality. Instead, Zhuhai is looking for 199 couples to enroll in a tandem bicycle race in order to break a Guinness World Record.

The event will take place on August 8, the same day as the Chinese festival called Qixi*. Organizers are looking for 119 Chinese couples and 80 Asian and African couples to sign up before July 10.

With the theme of ”Romantic Zhuhai, the legend of love”, the tandem bike race is planned along many of Zhuhai’s city landmarks: it begins at Zhuhai’s Lovers’ Lane and East Wind Road before winding its way through Haibin Park, the Zhuhai Fisherwoman, the Haibin Pool, and the Zhuhai Opera House, which is currently under construction. With the Macau skyline in the background, the race course will finally end at Hengqin Changlong International Resort for a total distance of 29.9km.

And it’s not just in the name of love: the winners of the race will get a chance to win the exclusive use of a Trumpche car for two years.

Sounds positively romantic, having your love be authenticated through the participation of breaking a world record. Though we’d have to say: an ideal competition involving two people in love should be more something like this:

wife carrying contest

***

* Notes: Formerly known as “Girls’ Day”, Qixi Festival is well-known for its heart-breaking story of the cowherd and the seamstress who were destined to spend all of eternity apart except for this one day of the year. On Qixi, all the crows in the world fly to bridge the gap in the Milky Way, allowing them to finally meet each other, if only temporarily.

For this reason, Qixi is often referred as China’s “Valentine’s Day” despite also celebrating similar romantic festivals on “I Love You” Day (May 20), Singles’ Day (Nov 11), Valentine’s Day and White Day (March 14).

Photo: Sina, Says.com

Haohao
Tagged:

Dongguan Plumber Proposes to Girlfriend in Bra and Panties

Posted: 05/15/2014 12:52 pm

bikini wedding lingerie bra panty proposalIn this relationship, we’re not sure who wears the pants.

A 40 year-old electrician and plumber named Lian publicly proposed to his girlfriend Liao while dressed in a matching red bra and underwear yesterday in Zhangmutou, Dongguan.

Lian’s public lingerie show were part of a set of conditions demanded by Liao, aged 30.

PHOTOS: Shenzhen Lingerie Supermodel Contest

“My girlfriend made me do it,” Lian said, and described his foray into lingerie modelling as a test.

She wanted to see if I really loved her, would take care of her, and if I would have the courage to propose to her in a way that ordinary people may not understand.

The couple first met each other ten years ago, but made a romantic connection last year when Lian went to help with renovations to a property supervised by Liao.

The conditions set by Liao may be related to the economic disparity between the couple. Liao earns approximately RMB 10,000 a month as an accountant with a property management company, but Lian, once divorced, earns less than that and does not own a house.

Lian explained himself further:

I’m not handsome, not young, don’t have any money, and I am without any assets to speak of. That’s why my proposal is more unique without going overboard. Also, this will be an unforgettable experience.

RELATED: Bikini-Clad Shenzhen Girls Call for ”Rational“ Protest
Against the Japanese

Without the security of a home and assets to comfort her, Liao thusly explained her attraction to Lian:

Can’t say if this is fate, but I just like Lian for his simple and virtuous nature.

We do, too. It seems only a person of a simple and virtuous nature would ever acquiesce to such a demand.bikini wedding lingerie bra panty proposalbikini wedding lingerie bra panty proposal

Read:

Photos: Yangcheng Evening Report

Haohao
Tagged:

Paradise, Lost: The Lonely, Loveless City of Shenzhen

Posted: 05/13/2014 8:00 am

When the city’s lights dim and the snarling noises from the heavy-loaded trucks die down, Shenzhen, a city among the most populated places in the world, is more lonely than you could have ever imagined.

A recent report by Baihe Net entitled “Report on Shenzhen Residents’ Relationship and Marital Status” revealed that more than 70 percent of the city’s non-local residents find it hard to find their significant other, an opinion to which 69.1 percent of locals agree, reported Yangcheng Evening News on May 12.

It does not help matters when 85.9 percent of female respondents in Shenzhen and Guangzhou said they believe that a man with a monthly salary below RMB 5,000 ($800) should not even attempt to start a relationship, a salary already 8.4 percent higher than the national average, the report said.

And once in a relationship, marriage is the only thing keeping them committed because 72.2 percent of non-local Shenzhen residents believe marriage is the goal of relationships, an opinion 64.5 percent of locals seconded.

Not surprisingly, for the large pool of lonely souls, old maids and bachelors in the city, physical needs are self-actualized. 61.6 percent of bachelors in Shenzhen said their sexual needs were “self-sufficed and handled on their own”, and 29 percent of single women also took the matters into their own hands.

And don’t forget: China is still a country where men are pressured to marry in order to prove their manhood, and women marry for financial security. The pressure is mounting for Shenzhen’s singles, and none of the parties are happy about their status as singles; parents are constantly nagging them about potential marriage problems before the slightest opportunity for marriage had even arrived.

The report said 54.4 percent of local single males worry about regional cultural and custom differences in a cross-provincial marriage, and 39.8 percent worry about the trouble of commuting between the bride’s family and groom’s family during the Spring Festival.

Perhaps the only ones who are smiling after reading about the city’s large unwed population are the advertisers and shop owners who have perhaps, already started planning this year’s Singles Day retail campaigns on November 11.

 Home page and content page images: Sohu

Haohao
Tagged:

Rejected by Woman, Zhongshan Man Stabs Himself in the Woods

Posted: 04/29/2014 8:00 am

We’ve heard tragic stories of spurned men turning to violence after being rejected by the object of their affections. One recent case is a 16 year-old American girl stabbed to death after turning down an invitation to a prom date. However, one 27 year-old man from Zhongshan, Guangdong instead turned the knife on himself after being rejected.

Ah Qiang recently met a woman online 15 years his elder and soon after began his mad pursuit. After being turned down by the woman because of their age difference, Ah Qiang threatened to kill himself over the phone in a desolate part of the woods nearby Tang Gan Village in Sanxiang, where he demanded the woman meet him, Nandu reported on April 28.

Frightened by the threat, the woman called the local police. But when the police arrived at the scene, Ah Qiang refused to come out despite efforts to appease him. Shortly after, a shriek was heard as Ah Qiang had stabbed himself in the stomach with a knife by the time police rushed in.

His dreams cut short, the budding Romeo was sent to a local hospital where he’s recovering.

Who knows how else this tragedy could have turned out. Seeing as they were in the woods, Ah Qiang could have escalated this to another level. But to really know for sure, you’d have to axe him.

Home page photo: Shenzhen Media Group

Haohao
Tagged:

Watch: Prostitutes in China get a lesson in using Momo, WeChat to lure clients

Posted: 02/28/2013 11:22 am

A video has been leaked online of prostitutes in an unknown location in China receiving a lecture on how to increase their customer base, and even more importantly, how to find high-calibre customers.

No talking at the back.

Like many classes, it involved a stern teacher and a couple of students giggling and whispering at the back. This particular lecture included a screen that may have been a PPT and focused on how to use social media services such as Momo, WeChat and Sina Weibo.

The bespectacled lecturer also emphasized the importance of using a photoshopped picture to attract customers’ interest, stressing the value of having an ovular face and attractive eyes.

The points on the whiteboard also included a reminder that students should maintain contact with their higher-level customers and avoid wasting time on “diaosi,” an internet slang word for loser.

Attentive students.

The video has been forwarded well over 1,000 times on Sina Weibo and watched over 1 million times. One Sina Weibo user said: “Life is all about selling. We all need to learn to sell ourselves.” Another said “The corporate training industry really is frighteningly competitive nowadays.” Another said: “Does this mean the women I’ve been chatting with on Momo are all hookers?”

Haohao
Tagged:

University student becomes celebrity for marrying and having kids early

Posted: 07/16/2012 8:00 am

In many countries, such as the United States, getting married before graduating from college is fairly common. However, it is not common in China. The trajectory of life for most Chinese is finish school, then start working, then get married, then have babies.

But there are exceptions to every rule. A student at Sun Yat-sen University, Zeng Peilun, attended her graduation ceremony with her baby and husband, becoming a minor celebrity, according to Guangzhou Daily. After falling in love in her sophomore year and getting married in her junior year, Zeng would have graduated this year, but she had to put her studies on hold to give birth to her son.

“Why not marry while the flame is brightest,” she said. Zeng says marrying her husband, 18 years her senior, was an easy decision. She says her parents are very open-minded and supportive, allowing her to make whichever decisions make her happy. Talking about becoming a mother, Zeng said she finds it hard but worthwhile, “I appreciate my mother even more now.”

As for the gossip she is facing, as a student of media studies, Zeng says she understands and can handle it.

Many graduates even expressed envy toward Zeng: “We can’t judge this young mother, there’s no right or wrong, there’s only what’s good for the person making the choice. Let’s bless this courageous beautiful young mother”, said a former classmate.

According to China’s Marriage Law of 1980, the age at which Chinese can legally marry is 20 for women and 22 for men. Chinese women tend to be under severe pressure to marry before 30. Those who don’t are labelled leftover women.

Haohao
Tagged:

Guangzhou gays go kissing around town to call for more rights

Posted: 04/5/2012 2:22 am

Three couples in Guangzhou hit the streets and started kissing (and hugging) on Monday this week in a performance art piece aimed at raising public awareness of the gay community and the many rights they don’t enjoy.

Organized by ChinaPride (@chinapride), an Internet-based non-profit organization serving the LGBT community, the kiss-in, set in and around Beijing Rd., also wrapped in calls for same-sex marriage to be legalized in China.

Predictably, the smoochfest drew quite a bit of attention from passers-by, but it also went viral across the Internet as photos and videos were posted on weibo and other platforms as the event happened in real-time.

The guys even set up a weibo account (@骄傲行动) specifically for the action, followed now by nearly 3,000 romantics.

We’re guessing early April was chosen for the kissing because any later and things could’ve gotten quite sweaty and gross, but also because April 1 is still widely observed each year throughout the Chinese-speaking world as the day gay icon Leslie Cheung jumped to his death in 2003, for reasons, that apparently still cannot be spoken of.

Check out the rest of their photos here.

Gay couple kissing and holding hands

Gay couple kissing in the subway

Video: Same-sex kissing festival in Guangzhou

Haohao
Tagged:

Valentine’s Day is only a week away, do you have plans yet?

Posted: 02/7/2012 11:21 am

February is known as the month of love in China, largely because it contains both the traditional western day of love (Valentine’s Day) as well as the “lover’s day” in China, which falls on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year.

The Chinese-celebrated day is already behind us, leaving the big kahuna coming up next week: St. Valentine’s Day.  If you haven’t made plans yet to serenade your loved one in the PRD, the China Hotel (A Marriott Hotel!) in Guangzhou has passed us a few ideas to share with you.  All of the below are specials are for February 14 only.

Valentine's Day at Prime Steakhouse

Prime Steakhouse (8666 6888 ext 3468)

Prime Steakhouse Set Menu for Two

Treat that special someone in your life to a decadent 5-course candle light set dinner for two at Guangzhou’s finest steakhouse. Let the romantic candle lit ambiance set the mood with an evening filled with delectable delicacies, romantic sparkling welcome drink, and a truly unique take away gift for all ladies.

RMB 999 +15% for set dinner for two.

Four Seasons (8666 6888 ext 3123)  

Four Seasons Set Menu for Two

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Four Seasons, with the epitome of classic Cantonese cuisine. A specially chosen romantic set dinner for two awaits you and your lover on this special evening, including roses and a unique take away gift for all ladies.

RMB 688+15% for set dinner for two.

Café Veranda (8666 6888 ext 3248)

Romantic Dinner Buffet

Red is the international color of love and this year, love is in the air at Café Veranda. Our buffet will be transformed into an all red buffet complete with red candle light, romantic dishes and a lovely red welcome drink for all guests.

RMB 298 +15% per person for dinner buffet.

 

If you have an event or special to tell us about for Valentine’s Day, send it to admin(at)thenanfang(dot)com.

Haohao
Tagged:

Guangdong votes for happiest couples

Posted: 08/30/2011 9:12 am

It’s no secret that the provincial government’s latest PR campaign is “Happy Guangdong“, focusing on how this place is so much more than just cheap migrant labour. While Guangdong may be rich, the comrades in charge are making sure to point out that they are also happy, harmonious even, in the words of Hu Jintao.

With this in mind, netizens across the region voted for the “10 Best Husbands and Wives” in Guangdong to showcase how love really does last here, despite the plethora of mistresses. The Nanfang Daily has the details:

The competition, held by the Women’s Federation of Guangdong Province, started receiving applications in May this year and attracted more than a thousand participantswho told their love stories through the Internet and received votes from netizens. Up to August 26, more than 10 million people cast their votes.

So who won this thing?

The award of “Best Golden Couple” (those married for more than 50 years) is granted to Yang Yingbin and Zheng Liya, a highly-respected couple both in their nineties. Yang and Zheng met during the second Sino-Japanese War in 1938. While they had grown deep feelings for each other ever since, they made a mutual agreement and didn’t get married until the day after the Japanese troops signed to surrender. After that, Yang and Zheng went through the brutal Cultural Revolution and held on to each other ever since.

Except for the deep love between the two of them, they also showed their selflessness to the outside world by cumulatively giving needy people tens of thousands of RMB.

We’ve never had one single fight, not even a quarrel,” said Zheng, the wife, when she recalled the past 74 years they have been in love.

Yes, it’s comforting to know that long-lasting love can be found here in “Happy Guangdong”.

(Translations done by Ellen Wang)

 

Haohao
Tagged:

NYT: Chinese women seek money first, love second

Posted: 04/16/2011 8:00 am

At the risk of diving into an incredibly controversial topic, we take a look at an article published in the New York Times on Friday regarding dating habits of Chinese women.

The article points out that, according to a survey, 70 percent of Chinese women will only consider marrying a man who already owns property.

Among the qualities they seek in a mate, 50 percent said that financial considerations ranked above all else, with good morals and personality falling beneath the top three requirements.

Zhang Yanhong, a matchmaking consultant at Baihe, one of the country’s most popular dating sites, said many disheartened men had simply dropped out of the marriage market.

“This fixation on real estate has twisted the popular notion of love and marriage,” she said. “Women are putting economic factors above everything else when looking for a mate, and this is not a good thing for relationships or for society.”

While this article deals particularly with Chinese women dating and marrying Chinese men, the arguments are pertinent to foreigners as well. If you ask any male foreigner about their dating prowess in China, chances are they’ll tell you that they have been quite successful; nay, are even chased by many pretty women. This can lead one to believe that they are desirable, that Chinese women love foreigners, etc, but this might not necessarily be the case.

It would take a volume of books to explain the differing socio-economic, historical and cultural differences between the east and west, and no judgment is being passed here. But looking purely at the country’s economic situation, which has been poor for several hundred years, perhaps the desire to find money ahead of love is understandable.

In my time in the country, having lived in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, I’ve seen foreign friends get married and get divorced, and seen the ugly side of some marriages. I’ve also seen successful ones. (Not unlike marriages anywhere, I might add) But when two people of vastly different cultural and economic backgrounds get together, it’s even more important for both sides to begin the relationship with their eyes open: sometimes when love seems too easy, there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.

 

Haohao
Tagged:
Popular Stories
AROUND THE WEB
Keep in Touch

What's happening this week in Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou? Sign up to be notified when we launch the This Week @ Nanfang newsletter.

sign up for our newsletter

Nanfang TV