This book considers the changing nature of intimacy in contemporary China, providing a unique case study of romantic subjectivities in young people in the world's fastest growing economy. Since the implementation of reform in 1978, the economic and socio-cultural environment of modern China has experienced a dramatic transformation under the influence of urbanization and globalization, facilitating more individualized identity among Chinese youth. This book bridges the gap between an emergent emphasis on individualisation and the country's traditional norms and values. It focuses on young people's understandings of various forms of relationships such as cohabitation, extramarital relationships and multiple relationships, suggesting a challenge to traditional familial values and an increasingly diversified understanding of the concepts of love and romance. By examining the formation of relationships among 21st century Chinese youth, notably through the lens of popular Chinese TV dating programs, this book considers how dating and relationships mirror China's changing societal structure and examines social and cultural transformations in Chinese society.

Investigates young people's dating and relationship practices through the lens of media studies. Considers how dating and relationships mirror the changing societal structure at a micro level. Examines how Chinese youth construct their identities facing 21st century socio-cultural change.

Autorentext

Dr Chao Yang is a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Journalism, Renmin University of China. Her research examines the construction of love and intimacy in post-reform China.

Inhalt

Introduction.- TV Dating as a Mediated Dating Text.- Desires and Anxieties in Self-centred Relationships.- Relationship Ethics.- Gendered and Generational Differences towards Relationships.- Conclusion.