China proposes to hire more male PT teachers in schools to end masculinity crisis The Chinese Education Ministry’s plan is in response to a proposal that said that the prevalence of female teachers in kindergartens and elementary schools and the popularity of “pretty boys” in pop culture had made Chinese boys “weak, inferior and timid Representational image. AFP
Hong Kong: Government officials in China believe that boys are getting more effeminate and want to toughen them up.
In the latest attempt to tackle what academics and news outlets call a “masculinity crisis,” the Education Ministry has proposed emphasising the “spirit of yang,” or male attributes, by hiring more sports instructors and redesigning physical education classes in elementary and secondary schools.
BBC News
By Kerry Allen
image captionWhile China wants young boys to be soldiers, it is not everyone s ambition
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.
By Liu Minghui | China Daily | Updated: 2021-02-04 07:41 Share CLOSE Chen Yilang and a student perform a kungfu pose at the China Welfare Institute Kindergarten. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY
A recent post on the official website of the Ministry of Education saying that it would enhance physical education and psychological direction, in response to a proposal from a top policy advisor, to strengthen masculinity education among boys has triggered a fierce debate online.
During the two annual sessions in May, Si Zefu, a member of the Chinese People s Political Consultative Conference National Committee, said the feminization trend among teenagers, if not checked, will harm the development of China. Many Chinese teenage boys nowadays have the characteristics of weakness, low self-esteem and timidity, and they tend to follow the pretty-boy superstars, Si said.