Hot Topics

---

Hey everyone!
Upon arriving in China, it is quickly apparent that there are two major issues that you will find yourself talking about with just about everyone. Whether the person you are speaking with is young or old, male or female, college educated or not, 空氣污染 (kōngqì wūrǎn - air pollution) and 婚姻／談戀愛 (hūnyīn/tán liàn'ài - marriage/dating).

空氣污染
Over the weekend, it seems the pollution has decided to come back - this time worse than ever before. Previously, the snow and rain have kept the pollution to manageable levels, and have come often enough for the AQI (air quality index) to creep up too much. However, while the past week was very very very cold (reaching -12°C or about 10°F on Thursday morning), there has not been much precipitation. Over the weekend the AQI began creeping up and up, and at the time of writing this post (11/30 7:50pm), the AQI is 603. For context, according to the AQI index, anything over 300 is considered "hazardous." That we are currently at twice that number is worrisome at best. In a more tangible sense, the smog here is so dense that it obliterates all but the closest buildings that make up the skyline. For example, on my walk home from the bus stop, I have an unimpeded view of a high-rise apartment building (definitely less than a mile away). Today I couldn't see that building at all.

For those of you who haven't experienced the smog, it looks pretty much the same as very very thick fog, except it has a orangey-yellowy tint to it. It also has a kind of gross, dirty smell to it. In fact, one of my friends from back at UPS posted a picture of heavy fog on campus, and I was noting how much it looks like the situation here. Except, of course, ours is much worse for your health and everyone is suggested to stay inside as much as possible. Additionally, while I was sitting in the cafeteria on the third floor earlier today, I noticed that when the elevator opened, a cloud of smog so thick it looked like smoke followed the person out of the elevator. Yum.

婚姻／談戀愛
In China, once you hit your 20's, there is no such thing as dating for fun. Any dating that you are doing is in the interest in finding a marriage prospect. This is especially true for women, which is causing a phenomenon in Chinese society dubbed 剩女 (shèngnǚ - leftover women). This happens because the requirements for marriage are typically 1. own a house 2. own a car 3. buy a ring. However, because all of these things are very expensive in China (just to get a drivers license in China costs a few hundred USD, and that's assuming you pass the test on your first try. Also in order to buy a car you either have to wait in a lottery for license to do so, or have the funds to bribe your way into one early), it is not until men are in their 30s that they are able to even consider marriage. On the other hand, these rich men tend to want to marry young women, who typically don't pursue a higher education and are often a little below their socioeconomic status. This makes them dependent on their husbands; comparable to the trophy wives of the West. The women who attend college and get jobs, become CEOs, etc, are the women destined to become 剩女. Since they're unlikely to marry below their socioeconomic status, and the men of their age group are busy pursuing younger women, these women are left to their own devices. The further a woman gets from the magical 20's, the less likely she is to get married. It makes sense, then, that Chinese mothers tend to get pushy about marriage when their daughters are still fairly young, worrying that their own will become a part of the growing group of "leftover women." That's not to say these "leftovers" cannot live happy, independent lives. As I mentioned earlier, they often do go on to become successful CEOs, with plenty of their own cash to burn, and the bonus of not having anyone trying to control them. Alternatively, there are also highly educated, successful, happily married women as well. This trend is less of a rule than a phenomenon, one that could prove dangerous to China's future if it keeps up.

In our popular culture class, we have watched a few clips from a popular TV show called If You Are the One (more info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Are_the_One_(game_show)). The premise of the show is that there are 24 women looking for a husband. They stand in a semicircle at individual podiums that are lit up. A man will then come on and talk about himself and what kind of woman he is looking for, and maybe present a talent that he has. The women who are not interested in him turn off their lights, until supposedly only one light remains, at which point that man and women have found their match and leave the stage together. One of the clips we watched featured a 外國人 (wàiguó rén - foreigner), who was from Italy. At one point, he has 19 lights still on, and is asked, "after how long would you consider marriage?" His answer was three to four years. All of the lights immediately went off, causing him to "lose" the game (and according to our teacher, this is very rare). When asked to explain why all of the lights went off at his answer, one of the women responded that she would expect to marry after one year; two at the most. As someone who grew up in the US, where it seems pretty common for people to date for 4, even up to 8 years (and sometimes not at all), it seems crazy to go in to a relationship expecting to marry that person after just one year! That's so little time!

Anyways, if you end up in China, these topics are very likely to come up, and you should see what the Chinese think about them. I mean, obviously pollution is bad, but you might be surprised with how alike Chinese opinion is on how we can solve pollution to those you see in the US. Also ask about marriage and relationships. People are very open to talking about it (not kidding, I talk about relationships every single week with my language partner. It always comes up), and because dating is very different here, so are their attitudes towards it. That's all for now! Until next time!

---

Photos

空氣污染
11/30/15

Smog
I took this one a while ago, but the building in the distance is the one I was talking about in the post. Also I did originally take this one because of the smog and how it made the setting sun look.