Popular director blasted on social media for sexist theme song

Society & Culture

Top society and culture news for January 24, 2017. Part of the daily The China Projectย news roundup "Musicians are the first victims of China-South Korea tensions."


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  • Theme song from new Han Han movie faces online backlash over sexist lyricsย / Weibo (in Chinese)
    Celebrity blogger, race car driver, and director Han Hanโ€™s new film, Ride the Winds, Break the Wavesย (also known as Duckweed), is set for release on January 28, but itโ€™s already under fire for its sexist theme song. Titled โ€œA Manly Manifesto,โ€ย the song includes lyrics such as โ€œTo be my wife, you should wake up earlier than me and go to sleep later than me,โ€ โ€œI am not capable of doing housework, so it is your work,โ€ and โ€œI might not have a love affair, probably not.โ€ After the songโ€™s release, online commenters quickly diagnosed Han Han with โ€œstraight man cancer,โ€ a term coined by Chinese internet users to describe male chauvinistic attitudes. Some of the most upvoted comments are โ€œI feel bad for the girl who married the guy in this songโ€ and โ€œI hate this song, but it represents the voice from the vast majority of men in contemporary China.โ€ You can listen to the whole song hereย (in Chinese).
  • Chinese are celebrating lunar new year by escapingย / Bloomberg
    According to a survey conducted by Chinese online travel service Ctrip.com, Chinese travelers will visit 174 destinations outside mainland China for 9.2 days on average during the upcoming Chinese New Year. Bloombergย attributes the trend to Chinese consumersโ€™ higher levels of disposable income, new flights added by airline companies, and easier visa processes for countries such as Japan and Australia.