Gongzhu bing

“Why do I have to sunbathe？ Why do I have to learn to swim？ Why do I have to carry a surfboard with one hand？ Because you like sunny boys. You want me to run on the beach … I have to catch your frisbee like a dog. I have to shoot down the sun， since you feel too hot. .... People said you are living in a fairytale， and you said yes， you are a princess…”

These are just a few lyrics to the popular Chinese song gongzhu bing， which pokes fun at a self-obsessed “princess” who believes everyone else should kowtow to her.

With gongzhu meaning princess and bing meaning illness， gongzhu bing is similar to its Western counterpart “princess syndrome.” Books have been written about how to raise your daughter to “think like a princess，” insisting that parents teach their daughter how to secure a wealthy husband， regard- less of the personal cost.

As a result， many Chinese women， especially those with the looks or the finances to live out their princess fantasies， are seen as valuing vanity and egocentrism over independence and personal development. Any potential boyfriend must be handsome， wealthy and， above all， obedient. Some “rulebooks”state that no girl should give up a kiss unless her date arrived in a car， or have dinner anywhere other than in an expensive restaurant and even then， only if she chooses the dishes and her date picks up the tab. A true “princess，” so the thinking goes， cannot do housework， cook or care for children.

Given the blatancy of this school of thought， an inevitable backlash has come from both men and women who actively reject “princesses.” However， criticism of “princess syndrome” is easily mistaken for the promotion of female empowerment. In- stead， much of the online debate has centered around the reinstatement of traditional gender roles with women as wives and mothers， and men as breadwinners.

“I don’t want a girl with gongzhu bing，” bawled a male contestant on a Hunan TV dating show. “I don’t understand why a boy has to carry his girlfriend’s bag or bend down to tie her shoes.”

“[Boys] also feel tired. At those times， we hope our girlfriends will comfort and look after us，” a post remarked at the popular bulletin board baidu. com. “Boys should indeed be kind to girls， but girls should not take them for granted. Honestly， we need a wife， not a princess，” it continued.

It seems that while the most flagrant prima donnas may find their popularity on the wane， there seems little sign that China’s entrenched gender roles are being thrown open to challenge.