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Source: John Cameron on Unsplash   China promotes education drive to make boys more ' manly '   A notice from China's education ministry has caused a stir after it suggested young Chinese men had become too "feminine". The message has been criticised as sexist by many online users - but some say China's male celebrities are partly to blame .  For a while China's government has signalled concern that the country's most popular male role models are no longer strong, athletic figures like " army heroes". Even President Xi Jinping, a well-known football enthusiast, has long been seeking to cultivate better sports stars.  So last week, the education ministry issued a notice with a title that left no doubt about its ultimate goal.  The Proposal to Prevent the Feminisation of Male Adolescents called on schools to fully reform their offerings on physical education and strengthen their recruitment of teachers.  The text advised recruit...

Source: Wikipedia (Chrionexfleckeri1350 ) China's Singles Day: 3m people, 4,000 planes and cargo ships Three million workers, helped by 4,000 planes and ships, are getting ready for the world's biggest online sale - with " revenge spending" tipped to be one of this year's biggest trends . China's Singles Day on 11 November is the world's biggest 24-hour online shopping event, with 1.9bn products ordered and delivered last year. But it is thought pent-up demand from the pandemic will break new records . Robot cleaners, vacuums and toolboxes are all expected to be popular. However, luxury brands are also hoping to get a boost , as millions of Chinese who have been unable to travel overseas on shopping trips go online for what experts are dubbing "revenge spending". "We anticipate ongoing international restrictions will cause a meaningful shift in Chinese consumers buying luxury online," said Michael Norris, at market research...

Source: Rendy Novantino on Unsplash Ikea bans 'illegal' blind-dating group from store cafeteria in Shanghai  Many are divorcees or people living alone after the death of a partner   Ikea has banned an elderly   matchmaking group from one of its restaurants in China unless it agrees to start paying up . The Swedish retailer has told its cafeteria in Shanghai to stop anyone hav ing a seat unless they buy food. Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for years, hundreds of elderly people have flooded into the restaurant to meet friends and potential partners, according to China Daily. Many are divorcees or people living alone after the death of a partner and the café gave them a chance to meet peers free of charge . Despite a 700-seat capacity the venue was often overcapacity, but since the change crowds have shrunk by as much as half. The “no food, no seat” rule came into force following complaints that paying customers were unable to sit at a ...

Source: shescooking.com   Millions prepare to celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year Millions of people are preparing to celebrate Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, the most important annual holiday in much of Asia. The new year begins on Sunday, when the new moon is seen in the sky. In the Chinese zodiac, this year will be the year of the snake, taking over from the dragon of 2012. In China, an estimated 200 million people are travelling to be with their families in what is considered the biggest mass human migration on Earth. The holiday will continue throughout the week, with government offices and businesses shut down. The snake has a mixed reputation in China. It is associated with wisdom, beauty and intelligence but also pride and anger. Pollution concerns Residents of Beijing braved freezing temperatures on Saturday night to let off fireworks, which are believed to ward off evil spirits. However, the displays in the capital were reportedly more muted tha...

Source:  Random Institute on Unsplash Shanghai Metro 'dress code' warning sparks debate A Shanghai Metro microblog post urging women to ''pay attention to how you dress'' to avoid sexual harassment has sparked protests and strong reactions. The metro operator posted a picture of a woman in a see-through dress on its Twitter-like Weibo account, saying: "It's no wonder that some people get harassed if they dress like this." This drew criticism for discrimination and sexism from irate women. But in an online poll, most agreed that women should dress more conservatively. The post published by Shanghai No 2 Subway Co on Wednesday added that there were many perverts on the subway and asked women to ''cherish'' themselves. This set off a flurry of comments online, with many decrying the suggestion that women were to blame for sexual harassment by dressing scantily. "According to this logic, all men can harass ...

Source:  Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash Toddler Tips the Scales at 132 lbs! We can't see the video now but the transcript is below. Click on the links in red to see photos of the boy. You can watch news in US English (with transcripts and subtitles) at Newsy . Three years old and 132 pounds. Shown here, the Chinese toddler , Lu Hao, is severely overweight . His parents tell The Sun the boy eats more than both of them at an average meal. And portion control is a battle. Hao throws vicious tantrums when he’s denied food, especially his favorites, ribs and rice. Ironically, Hao didn’t start out this way, KGTV explains. “Lu Hao weighed just 5.7 pounds when he was born but starting at the age of three months he has gained weight at an incredible pace.” Fox News reports Hao’s weight has been a problem ever since . “He was banned from [school] over fears that his size might be a danger to other children and usually plays alone at home — but moving around...