A preliminary investigation determined the car probably slipped into the river because there had been a recent snowfall that made the banks of the river icy and slippery. Once the car was towed to shore, a rope was used to drag the bodies free. That’s when the rescuers discovered that the couple was locked in a lovers’ embrace, even after death. Only after a concerted effort were the victims separated from each other.

Drowning in a submerged car is a tragedy that often attracts a lot of attention in China. The story of a woman trapped in a car that accidentally drove into a canal last year was widely shared when it was revealed the victim’s last call was to her daughter, telling her she loved her.

The post Lovers Found Dead in Frozen Embrace in Icy Jilin River appeared first on The Nanfang.

Secret celebrity romances are usually things that are uncovered by unscrupulous paparazzi photographers, violating the privacy of the rich and famous. However, the reveal of China’s hottest celebrity romance comes straight from the source itself – which, in this day and age, is a personal Weibo account.

Weibo users were first clued in to the romance between 50 year-old Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson and 31 year-old Chinese-Canadian singer Qu Wanting at beginning of January, but they made it official with a post sent by Robertson on Valentine’s Day:

Once again, this isn’t a private message, but a post sent to all of Robertson’s followers. While it may be a strange way to make it official, it makes sense for Robertson to announce his relationship to Qu on the Weibo micro-blogging service because he’s been mentioning Qu on his Weibo account for years.

The two were photographed together after a performance in February 2014, and another post has Robertson in full support of Qu becoming the tourism ambassador for Vancouver in November 2013 when he explained “Because SHE ROCKS!!!”

Robertson is having quite a year so far. He separated from his wife of 30 years last July, won himself a third term as the mayor of Vancouver, Canada back in November, and now has a new love in his life.

His public announcement of his relationship with Qu has resulted in a flurry of responses online. The most common is that he looks far younger than his 50 years:

佳爺万万岁：

There doesn’t seem to be an age difference of 19 years between [Robertson and Qu]… maintaining your health is very important.

STRONGKBB:

This old geezer is 50?!?! What a shock！

Sashaxu：

He doesn’t seem like he’s 50 years-old.

tearfulrobby：

Well maintained!

The coming together of East and West can have many implications, but the apparent one for netizens when it comes to cross-cultural relationships is the difference of beauty standards:

freshairr：

Her (meal)ticket doesn’t seem at all to be 50 years old, while she seems to be at least 40, oh my garters.

gemma凖：

Indeed, (her) face is suitable for a laowai (implying that Qu is not beautiful by Chinese standards).

Zippo227：

Foreigners like ugly women.

小婷婷luck：

Qu Wanting is (more) suitable for a foreigner because which Chinese would be able to put up with her?

尔本o：

Westerners aren’t willing to directly face the Chinese beauty standard.

A happy couple in love turns out to be the appropriate time to criticize their appearance.

罗滴嘎嘎：

Canadians are the most disgusting people. (I) pity that beautiful woman.

樱桃子2013：

At first I thought the woman had the worst end of the deal. The man is already 50 years old and is so much older than her. But then, after opening the photo, I felt that the man had the worst end of the deal…

But then some people were all too happy to wish the couple well:

男精零101：

I’m envious. 

徐威gg：

The very much have the appearance of a husband and wife.

Some netizens have come to certain conclusions about Vancouver and China’s northeast:

FrancisMartinCA：

After this, there will be more Chinese people going to Vancouver.

孫雪甛：

Speechless! 30 years of marriage is being substituted by a 31 year-old woman! I am fully in awe of China’s Dongbei (northeast)

While others see this relationship as having certain political overtones to it:

梦境_先知：

How are US mayors in any way more powerful than Chinese mayors, or any richer? That’s crazy!

肥皂是赵智君：

Why do I get the feeling that this is just propaganda material, and the mayor is just a fan?

jiatian琪：

Is this one technique with which China can conquer the world?

We’ll just have to see what comes next on Robertson’s Weibo account.

The post Vancouver Mayor Reveals Chinese Girlfriend on Weibo to Frenzied Response appeared first on The Nanfang.

A national study examining the relationship habits of Chinese men and women found that the root causes of “singleness” include a tendency to stay at home and a lack of money.

The report, awkwardly titled “2014-15 Investigative Report into the Relationship Habits of Chinese Men and Women”, found that 50 percent of Chinese people don’t lead “carefree” single lives. Rather, 47 percent of men and 51 percent of women were choosing to stay home on weekends.

The study also found that China’s unmarried adults are typically less educated and earn less money. A full 53 percent of single Chinese men with a salary below RMB 2,000 claim to stay home instead of going out to meet a potential partner. That ratio rises to 64 percent for Chinese women.

Compounding this problem is the fact that the Chinese character used to describe a person that prefers staying at home is the same word used to describe a “nerd” or “geek”, or as they say in Japan, “okatu”. By itself, 宅 (zhái) means “residence” or “home”, but when used as 宅男 (zháinán), it roughly translates to an obsessive man who would rather play video games or watch anime than go outside.

While the report doesn’t explicitly point a finger at nerds and geeks, reference to the term “宅”, makes it a difficult implication to ignore.

The report offers some interesting insight into the mind of the modern Chinese singleton. Chinese single men prefer a woman who is straight-forward, is willing to do the majority of the house work, and is independent, at least “a little bit”. Chinese single women also prefer a man who is straight-forward, and appreciate someone who likes to exercise and can cook. The single men said that looks aren’t important, while single women said they want a man who has a high salary but can come home and change a baby’s diapers.

Relieved from arranged marriages, it could be that modern Chinese people are using their newfound freedoms as a way to geek out on their computers. However, as being straight-forward is one of the more ubiquitous traits of the classical nerd, perhaps they have a better chance of finding that special someone than they think.

The post Chinese Singles Would Rather Stay Home than Go Out and Find Dates appeared first on The Nanfang.

At the same time, however, marriages in China usually happen for practical reasons rather for than romantic ones. According to a poll by relationship website Zhen’ai, Chinese have a very specific set of parameters for their potential soul mate.

One of these expectations is salary. Although Chinese society emphasizes equality between men and women, what’s fair for the workforce is not the case between husbands and wives. When asked what kind of difference in salary they’d ideally expect from a future husband, 72 percent of female respondents said they’d want a husband to bring home twice as much as they do. The idea that a man must make more than his wife is shared by male respondents, with only one percent of men saying they’d marry a woman that made twice as much as they did.

Age is another important consideration. While females said they’d prefer someone close in age to them, men don’t want an older wife. Only 17 percent said they’d marry an older woman, and only three percent are actively looking for a woman at least 10 years older.

Then there are the people who will patiently standby and wait for the one they want, even if the object of their desires is already in a relationship. This is known in China as a “spare tire”: a secondary, “back-up” choice should the marriage fail.  This back-up boyfriend is usually somebody who didn’t quite measure up initially, but can be kept in the bullpen as an insurance policy.

While that might not sound so great, Chinese men apparently don’t have a problem with it. Forty-seven percent of male respondents said they would be willing to serve as a “spare tire” for a woman with other marriage plans. Women aren’t willing to do the same though, with 84 percent saying they wouldn’t want to be a spare tire.

With all this talk of conditions and contracts, you might think that dating for love doesn’t have a chance in China. In fact, the concept of two strangers going out on a date for fun and possibly more isn’t common in China. Instead, Chinese go on xiangqin (相亲 xiāngqīn), a meeting between a man and a woman for the purpose of determining marriage.

Instead of dinner and a movie and discovering mutual interests, it’s a fact-finding mission to see if the other party fulfills your expectations of what a ideal spouse should be. Often done with the involvement of family and acquaintances, xiangqin are often stress-filled encounters that are as numerous as they are short. With so much pressure riding on these encounters, many Chinese avoid going on xiangqin, often using the complaint, “I’m too busy with work.”

All this isn’t to say that love doesn’t exist in China. Instead, love in a marriage is what takes place once the proper conditions between husband and wife are satisfied.

No one can say that real love is not important to Chinese. After all, the xiangqin website that conducted this poll, Zhen’ai, means “real love” in English. And where else could yuanfen happen but on a website where you can filter out who you want to meet by salary and age?

The post Love an Unattainable Luxury, Chinese Marry for Practical Reasons Instead appeared first on The Nanfang.

As Guangzhou Daily reports, a man and two women arrived at an unused spot next to the river near a launching area for pontoon boats yesterday afternoon. One of the women was his current girlfriend, while the other was his ex. All three worked in the financial sector in the city.

It’s believed the three were involved in a messy love triangle, and had arrived at the spot to sort it out. The ex-girlfriend apparently wanted the current girlfriend to leave so that she could continue her relationship with the man.

Around 4pm and still not having reached a consensus, the ex-girlfriend decided to throw herself into the river. The man, clearly concerned about his ex, jumped in after her. This demonstration of care clearly angered his current girlfriend, who then threw herself into the water too.

Eyewitnesses say they the man and his ex made it back to shore a few minutes later, but his current girlfriend wasn’t as lucky. A fishing boat found her body several minutes later.

Miss Tian, a service worker on the pontoon, witnessed the incident. When she approached the shivering man and his ex, Tian apparently heard the man say:

This is all because of you, all because of you…

Police have not released the names of the three people and are conducting an investigation.

Photo: Guangzhou Daily

The post Save The Girlfriend or the Ex? Age Old Question is Real Life Tragedy in Chongqing appeared first on The Nanfang.

The woman plunged into the river just a tour boat was passing by. The foreigner, on board the boat, noticed the woman in the water and dove in to save her. The woman’s boyfriend was also on scene and helped in the rescue effort.

Fortunately the woman appears to be okay.

UPDATED 11:40am August 19: Here’s a video taken at the scene:

Related:

• Man Jumps from Seventh Floor of Guangzhou’s Tee Mall in Suicide
• Guangzhou’s Image Tarnished By Attention-Seeking Bridge Jumpers
• Threatening to Jump, Woman in Zhongshan Falls Asleep During Suicide Attempt
• Guangdong schoolgirl attempts suicide because teacher disapproved of hairdo

Photos: DQ Daily

The post Foreign Tourist Dives Into Nanjing Lake to Save Suicidal Woman [UPDATED] appeared first on The Nanfang.

What was supposed to be a romantic, memorable experience for a young couple in Wuhan turned into an embarrassing (and painful) hospital visit. As reported by Caijing, a first kiss turned into a nightmare.

An 18 year-old university student named Zhang was out celebrating with his girlfriend Xiao Wen on their first Qixi Festival together last Saturday. They did the usual lovebird-type things: Zhang gave her candy and took her out to dinner. Then they headed out into a secluded wooded area on campus where everything appeared right for that special moment.

Zhang, though, was a bit too excited. As he leaned in to kiss Xiao Wen, he collided with her using excessive force, causing her jaw to dislocate.  At around 9pm, red with embarrassment, Zhang took Xiao Wen to a hospital off campus to avoid running into anybody he knew.

The Deputy Director of the Oral Cavity Department Dr Zhang Fulan treated Xiao and properly reattached her jaw, allowing her to open and close it as well as being able to kiss, should she ever recover from her newest phobia.

Despite the sensational circumstances of this story, Dr Zhang said these types of injuries are quite common. He said jaw dislocations commonly occur from kissing, laughing, yawning, or eating an apple. He explained that because the jaw is relaxed, injuries resulting from force can happen.

To prevent such injuries, Dr Zhang recommends not opening your mouth too wide, laughing too loudly, biting into things that are too hard, and to exercise your chewing muscles.

As for kissing, Dr Zhang suggests not to “overdo it”.

Photo: Youtube

The post Wuhan Lovers’ Excited First Kiss Turns Into Hospital Visit appeared first on The Nanfang.

Back on June 9, user “I am a Senior Snack Food” made a post on the Tianya forums titled: “Right now on the streets of Shanghai, it is very clear that the women are one class higher than the men.” He published the pictures seen here, and asserted that:

Women are more beautiful, while you can tell the men are losers at one glance.

and

The men are all dogs that are either unattractive mongrels or whipped puppies with their tails between their legs: there isn’t one among them that gives you any confidence. On the other hand, women have bettered themselves over and over.

Over 800,000 hits later, this topic of conversation has crossed over to Weibo. Chinese netizens continue to debate the very important question of our time: “Are Chinese men suitable for Chinese women?”

Passionate discourse about this leading social issue includes sentiments like these (from the original post):

瞎了我的鱼眼:
The reason is clear: some women are carrying brand name handbags, while some men are helping (them) carry clothes and purses.

芷KISS贤:
The woman is so beautiful, but the man is clearly a loser.

一张说人话的嘴:
How are you aware of these men’s hidden talents and capabilities?

澈堇:
I’ve long since discovered this to be true. It’s the same in Wuxi as well.

Yimobaby: (referring to the above image)
Shanghai girls have always been pretty.

lebao2030: (responding to above)
People, this is called “make-up”! This isn’t natural beauty; if you don’t believe me, ask them to try going without wearing make-up! Shanghai women need to put on make-up before going outside! I’ve lived in Shanghai for five years during which I’ve had Shanghainese friends.

辣妹子啦啦啦:
This is pretty much true. I had previously gone to South Korea and had posted pictures of Korean pedestrians. Everyone theorized that they are all made-up. Women of Chinese first and second-tiered major cities have already attained the same level of fashion as that of Seoul, however, there is a huge, significant difference with the men. If Chinese men won’t pay any attention to improving their looks, then forget it; many of them aren’t even capable of maintain basic hygiene.

But while netizens argue, the Guangzhou Daily has tackled the question by conducting a survey. The paper asked 1,259 people (487 men and 772 women) this question: do you agree or disagree with the statement “Chinese men don’t look as good as Chinese women”? It turns out 56% of women agree while 68% of men disagree.

The survey also asked how much a man should spend on making himself “look better”. Again, the difference between the sexes is stark. Almost 87% of male respondents said zero to 20% of their income should be allocated to looking better, while only 43% of women suggested such a small amount should be spent. Thirty-seven percent of women said men should be spending 20 to 40% of their entire income on looking better.

With such a vast difference of opinion between Chinese men and women, we’re not sure how the two sexes can reach a consensus and get married.

Here’s some more pictures of couples below. What do you think?

Photos: Tianya, Guangzhou Daily

The post “Are Chinese Men Suitable For Chinese Women?” appeared first on The Nanfang.

File photo from 2002.

For some foreigners, seeking opportunity in China is tied to finding love. For these Chinese ladies, being in a cross-cultural relationships means they must show their love in a specific way: by complaining.

China Daily has compiled this list of the top complaints Chinese women have about their foreign boyfriends. Reportedly provided by an unidentified Pakistani national, the list does a good job of simplifying the cultural differences between China and the rest of the world into two distinct homogeneous globs so that we can better understand them both.

This list was originally published in Chinese, but with the term “you” used so often to denote the Western boyfriend, we thought it was necessary to bring it to a Western audience.

Here then are the top ten complaints a Chinese woman has about her foreign boyfriend:

1. You Don’t Help Me Carry My Bag!

The majority of foreign boyfriends fundamentally think that carrying their girlfriend’s handbag is not masculine at all. However, this is the most common request of a Chinese girlfriend. Chinese girlfriends often put unnecessary things that are of no use into their handbags just so their boyfriends can help them carry it. And, foreign boyfriends don’t tend to carry bags (of their own) when they go out.

2. You Don’t Talk to Me Often Enough!

Chinese girlfriends often require you to communicate with them everyday: to call or text them them two to three times a day in order to show them you care. This is something that won’t change. Therefore, if you want to date them for a while, you must adapt to this.

3. You Don’t See Me Often Enough!

If you don’t see your girlfriend often enough, she will think that you are selfish. If you haven’t done what a Chinese girl wants you to do, she will think you are selfish. They will not miss any opportunity to criticize you for being selfish. However, the term “selfish” is not as serious of a complaint to foreigners. They (in all of their hundreds of cultures) think that being called “selfish” is very normal. This is not the case at all for Chinese people.

4. Stop Spending So Much Time With Your Friends!

Sometimes, Chinese girlfriends will complain that they don’t like your friends. However, that’s not the whole story: all they want is for you to spend less time with your friends so that you can spend more time with your girlfriend. They want a to live in a world with just the two of you, and not go out and see friends.

5. Why Don’t You Take Me Out With You to the Bars?

Whenever you go out to the bar, she’ll often complain that you don’t take her out with you. She will use every reason to criticize you for not taking her with you. She’ll say that you don’t like her being in a bar because she wants you to always remain by her side.

6. No Sense of Fashion

She wants you to dress according to what she thinks. Fashion styles in China are completely different from those of other countries and with which is difficult to comply, so ready yourself to confront this type of complaint day and night.

7. You Don’t Understand Chinese Culture!

Your Chinese girlfriend will often say that you need to learn Chinese culture better. 

8. Eat More!

It sounds very strange to hear, but is a fact: Chinese girlfriends will recommend you to “eat more healthily”. A Chinese proverb is “eating more is eating healthy”. They are following this rule to the letter, and take along their boyfriends for the ride.

9. Don’t Eat So Much!

Sooner or later you’ll start to eat more, but then you’ll begin to hear another complaint: you’re eating too much. Your Chinese girlfriend will tell you that you should start to eat less because it’s better for your health. All of a sudden, the aforementioned Chinese proverb and perspective will change.

10. Shopping

Finally, Chinese girlfriends will complain that you don’t take them out to go shopping. It’s true! They’re correct. Remember to take her shopping, but only go window shopping. She wants to go strolling with you. Sometimes, she’ll want you to spend a little money. Not long after spending it, she will say, “I had previously thought you to be selfish, but now you’ve shown me you aren’t.”

Photo: China Daily

The post Top 10 Complaints Chinese Women Have About Their Foreign Boyfriends appeared first on The Nanfang.

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

The post Rejected by Woman, Zhongshan Man Stabs Himself in the Woods appeared first on The Nanfang.