Good afternoon, everyone~
Recently, a gender education textbook titled “Little Man” was published in Shanghai, sparking heated discussions.
It is said that one of the original intentions of publishing this textbook was to address the current societal “boy crisis”: boys are becoming increasingly effeminate, lacking masculinity, and are falling behind girls in both learning and life…
It is well known that in recent years, society has generally lamented “Yin excess and Yang deficiency,” believing that boys are becoming more shy and introverted, while girls are becoming more masculine, leading to the “boy crisis” becoming a phenomenon of common concern among parents and society.
In recent years, people have expressed feelings about boys lacking a sense of responsibility and ambition, and the lack of “manly” spirit. From this perspective, the setting of “Little Man” at the elementary school stage is aimed at gradually adjusting and cultivating boys’ self-awareness and self-development, subtly reflecting a more ideal growth trajectory.
▲ Addressing the “boy crisis” – Let’s have more expectations for “Little Man” (via Xinhua Net)
Although “Yin excess and Yang deficiency” may not necessarily be a “crisis,” the poor performance of boys has indeed raised concerns among some people.
Recently, Shanghai has published textbooks for “men” and schools have established boys’ classes, while Beijing has also started a “Man Training Camp”…
Today, let’s take a look at a report from the Hong Kong media “South China Morning Post” about the “Man Training Camp”:
▲ China’s training camp: A place to teach boys to become men (via South China Morning Post)
The article begins by describing such a scene—
On a chilly autumn morning, 18 young boys braved strong winds for a day of training at the foot of Fenghuang Mountain in western Beijing.
brave: The adjective everyone knows means “courageous.” Here it is used as a verb, meaning “to face bravely.”
Here, this group of boys, wearing “manly headbands,” stands at the foot of the mountain in the cold wind. (“Wearing headbands reading ‘Tough Guy’ and chanting slogans such as ‘Who is the best? I am the best’, ‘Who are we? We are the man.’)
(Image via Simon Song)
How old are these kids? What are they doing here?
The author continues to explain—
It was the fifth day of an 18-day course held on weekends for boys aged seven to 11 that aims to rescue them from their day-to-day, all-female environment and prevent them from being “oversensitive, vulnerable, whiny, petty or irresponsible.”
oversensitive /,ovɚ’sɛnsɪtɪv/: overly sensitive
whiny /’hwaɪnɪ/: complaining, whiny
petty /’petɪ/: trivial, small-minded
Additionally, the phrase “rescue them from…” is quite interesting: to “rescue” these children from their “daily environment surrounded by women.”
Next, there is another description of the children:
They make vows to be ambitious and competent as an eagle, smart and kind as a dolphin, and persistent and down-to-earth as a horse.
How does this sentence go? To be ambitious and capable like an eagle, wise and kind like a dolphin, and resilient and grounded like a horse?
(Image via Simon Song)
The founder of this “Real Men Club” was originally a physical education teacher in Beijing. He established this training center in 2012, and to date, over 20,000 children have participated in the club’s courses.
He said to the reporter—
“There is a crisis in boys’ education and I threw myself into practical actions to save them and help them find their lost masculinity,” Tang said.
throw oneself into…: to devote oneself to…
masculinity /,mæskjʊ’lɪnɪtɪ/: manliness, masculine spirit
The founder stated that there is a crisis in boys’ education, so he hopes to save them and help them reclaim their lost masculinity.
(Image via Simon Song)
As for the “manly course” in this training camp, the children need to attend 18 classes, with courses or training held on weekends. The tuition is about 10,000 yuan.
They may play sports, exercise, or face more challenging tasks—such as running topless in winter, climbing a mountain in temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius in Heilongjiang, China’s northernmost province, or trekking for a week across a desert.(“…such as running topless in winter, climbing a mountain in temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius in Heilongjiang, China’s northernmost province, or trekking for a week across a desert.”)
(Image via Simon Song)
Next, the article mentions a 12-year-old boy: Tong Tong (transliteration).
His mother said that after attending the training camp, Tong Tong has undergone a significant change—
“He could not even take a bath without my help. He did not poop in school because he needed us to wipe his butt after the business.”
“Previously, without my help, he couldn’t even wash himself. He wouldn’t go number two at school because he usually needed us to wipe his butt after he was done.
“Then [after the course] he would wash his socks. I was thrilled!”
“After attending the training camp, he can wash his own socks! I am so happy!”
butt /bʌt/: buttocks
thrilled /θrɪld/: very excited
The reason I translated these two sentences in full is that I believe everyone can see the reason: this dependency of Tong Tong on his parents has become somewhat abnormal.
A 12-year-old boy, in fifth or sixth grade or even middle school, still cannot wash himself or even wipe his own butt after using the toilet?
What kind of family environment and education could cultivate such a child?
Let’s look at Tong Tong’s mother’s explanation—
“Tong Tong’s father was busy and not around much. I looked after my son and he had been surrounded by women all the time. He was weak and wept whenever there was some difficulty.”
“It might be that we were too attentive to him and deprived him of the opportunity to be independent. He was not confident and wept at setbacks. He was like a sensitive girl.”
attentive to…: caring for…
deprive /dɪ’praɪv/ XX of…: to deprive someone/something of rights/opportunities, etc.
setback: setback
In fact, even without Tong Tong’s mother saying these reasons, I can guess the general idea.
Because it is too representative:
First, the father is rarely involved in the child’s growth, and the child is mostly cared for by the mother, surrounded by women.
Second, the parents overly pamper the child, doing everything for him, making the child increasingly dependent.
(Image via the internet)
“A 12-year-old boy who still cannot wipe his own butt” is just an example. However, in China, overly pampering and caring for children, especially fathers who long-term act as “hands-off parents” for various reasons… this is not an isolated phenomenon.
This also has little to do with “manliness” or “masculinity.” Every person—regardless of gender—should possess some basic good qualities: independence, responsibility, diligence, and practicality…
I hope parents can reflect on this. Do not raise “inept children,” and do not blame the so-called “Yin excess and Yang deficiency.”
This week’s Uncle Mai’s class ends here, see you next Sunday!
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