Analysis: Solidifying Relationships in a Shifting Chinese Youth Society

“A high quality of life is equated to traditional family values.”

From a recent youth survey conducted by enoVate, family values are a high quality of life indicator. Quality of life represents the ideals that Chinese youth strive for, things they may not necessarily have right now. However, the topics of relationships and dating are the forefront of Chinese youth interests. We’ve pulled out three key areas centering on relationships and dating in Chinese youth society:

• The formative single life
• The building of their personal relationships
• Maintenance of these relationships and their portrayal in popular culture

Formative Single Lfe

It is a common conclusion that a young Chinese person has certain “relationship cut-off ages” that are symbolic in their lives. In a recent article on Sina, these ages are broken down in a more humorous manner. Between the ages of 25 to 27 are symbolic as a “must be dating by or married” age. If you cross the 27 year-old age barrier, the slope is slippery into the throes of bachelorism.

However, this viewpoint is typically hammered into the minds of Chinese youth by overbearing parents or societal norms. As an 80’s Generation Chinese youth states, “the 80’s generation enjoys their single lives, because they’ve grown up in a single family household…they also prefer to share their feelings with a computer rather than with their friends.” This comment may seem contradictory but in this modern age in China, feelings are shared online, friendships are found online, and individualism is expressed. This means that a single life in China is not a lonely life anymore. The following is a quote from a Chinese female netizen providing insightful commentary to this notion:

“Yes! I am single, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and do not need to worry about my significant other cheating on me, or take care of daily life errands, and can blog away at anytime I want without worrying about affecting the other person’s schedule.”

But being single is not an ideal shared by all Chinese youth. A recent phenomenon that is also about connecting friendships online is known as “Flash Play” (闪玩), coined by IWOM Company CIC as “offline events organized by netizens online.” These meet-ups can be casual in nature, ranging from travel to KTV, but can also result in limited relationships that do not offer the same long-term benefits as normal relationships.

Building of Personal Relationships

But what is a normal relationship for Chinese youth? Often, the premise of normalcy, or the way things should be is presented in popular television shows in China. One example is the TV show “i-Partment”. “i-Partment” details the lives of 7 single 80’s Generation Chinese youth all living under one roof. Their relationships and love life reflect many traditional values, but it is also noted that some of the plot lines are un-realistic and overtly idealistic. However, the show leaves off many of the youth aspects related to sex, an area, that according to conversations with Chinese girls, about half are indifferent towards before marriage.

Maintenance of these relationships and their portrayal in popular culture

The pressure to date, marry, and be happy is a strong ideal for Chinese youth. The online landscape provides an escape for many Chinese youth, however as noted it’s not always something that is permanent. In the future of relationships and dating in China, it’s hard to predict a trend, but even though popular culture and government stances will promote traditional values, it’s likely new generations will be exposed to new thoughts and ideas, transcending into sex, relationships and dating amongst Chinese youth.