Little Emperors and Material Girls: Youth and Sex in Modern China

by Jemimah Steinfeld

China is the world’s fastest-growing economy. But behind the headlines a once-in-a-generation sexual and cultural revolution is taking place in the bars, cafes and streets of China’s mega-cities. Welcome to the new China. Writer and journalist Jemimah Steinfeld meets the young people behind the world’s fastest-moving nation to unveil their attitudes towards love, life and sexuality. Young Chinese have new words to describe the world they live in: “little emperors”–bossy and selfish single men who have grown up under the one child policy; “leftovers”–women over twenty-six who aren’t married; “love markets”–weekend gatherings where parents attempt to find husbands and wives for their children, match-make young singles and offer boyfriends for hire. Steinfeld introduces the people at the heart of this world, from the man starting China’s first online dating agency to the women who work the red-light districts; from the company trying to sell sex toys to China’s middle-classes to the sino-punks of Beijing’s bar scene. Little Emperors and Material Girls is the book that will change the way you see China

Genres: China, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2015

Reviews

[A Reader's Heaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

The book that will change the way you see China
A once-in-a-generation sexual and cultural revolution is taking place - all in the bars, cafes and streets of China's growing mega-cities.
Jemimah Steinfeld introduces the people at the heart of this world, from the woman starting China's first online dating agency to the mistresses of the rich and powerful; from the company trying to sell sex toys to China's middle-classes to the sino-punks of Beijing's bar scene.


I am torn between loving this book and truly despising it. I know that sounds harsh but this book frustrated me so much that, at one point, I was right into the material being presented (the first instance was on the chapter of the internet in China) and then, out of the blue, it would become a blizzard of facts and figures and lose the great narrative I had been reading. And that happened quite a few times.

On the balance though, there were some real insights into the way young people in China view their world of sex, relationships, the gay community, and drugs...and also what the future holds for them - in particular those who are following the Communist path, and also the Christians who live there.

I really enjoyed the parts that I liked...and was really frustrated by the bits I didn't like.


Paul
ARH

[Edward Luo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers a wide range of relevant modern topics using personal stories/interviews/anecdotes - and this works. Some topics are the usual suspects and have been covered in other mediums (little emperors, leftover women, mistresses), but was delighted to hear insights about less frequently covered topics like Christian dating, rock n roll culture, modern weddings, LGBT issues.

Plot (Story / Pacing / Ending): 4/5
Characters (Characters / Development): 3/5
Writing (Prose / Dialogue / Style): 4/5
Other (Enjoyment / Read Pace / Worldbuilding / Etc): 4/5

[Abhinav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steinfeld's industriously collected interviews of different members of the Chinese youth is truly a work that represents her indomitable will and hardwork to meet and know as much as possible about China. A lot has changed in the socioeconomic and cultural tapestry of modern China. Steinfeld captures most of these changes through her work at the grass-roots level. Though almost 70% of the book seems like a boring collection of newspaper interviews of popular and common Chinese people, the author's interpretations and in essence her predictions of the impact of the prevailing thoughts are truly interesting. Journalistic in nature, this books sure does speak a lot more than just sex and material culture of contemporary Chinese youth.

What struck me, most importantly, is the similarity between Chinese and Indian youth with regard to the developing westernisation and increasing material culture. Just like the Chinese cultural revolution during the later half of the twentieth century, a similar period of absolute control of freedom prevailed in India during the rule of Indira Gandhi when she was the prime minister. It would be interesting these aspects were compared in any other future work.

The ideas of contemporary Chinese youth are lucidly documented and elaborated. Steinfeld's book is truly a must read for those interested in Chinese contemporary history and culture.

I thank NetGalley for a reviewer's electronic copy of this wonderful book.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jemimah Steinfeld has done some interesting interviews with youth in China, and her understanding of youth culture there is generally quite good. But this is not a good book, for two main reasons.

First, it is mis-sold as being about sex, probably to sell more copies. Really it is about youth culture and relationships, with some chapters at the end having nothing whatsoever to do with sex -- the Communist Party, Christianity and (peripherally about sex) feminism. Although there are plenty of pages about sexual topics, the coverage is spotty (a small number of interviews in Beijing), and there is a huge amount of attention to topics like attitudes of women towards marriage and even trans-gender issues, with barely a mention in passing of topics that should be covered in a book about sex in China -- the hook-up culture among the young, the prevalence of prostitution (why did Steinfeld not interview any prostitutes?) and specific sexual practices (Steinfeld explains that these are not discussed because Chinese are very private on such issues -- seriously, no one would talk about this?).

Second, the book is poorly written, misusing language, using poor sentence structure, etc. One would expect that Steinfeld as a journalist can write better than this, but even if not she should at least have used a good editor.

[Sacha Chadwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Net Galley has given me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Little Emperors and Material Girls would be a fun and exciting read for non-fiction lovers, or individuals who are interested in Asian culture. However, it may be somewhat dull for individuals who do not enjoy this genre. Despite this fact, this book has proven to be extremely enlightening and filled with first hand interviews, which ultimately give this book its strength.

Jemimah Steinfeld explored China’s younger generation in this non-fiction gem. Utilizing interviews to gather data, Steinfeld interprets the information so effortlessly which ultimately produced an exciting, yet informative read. People will read for the sex and the culture, however they will close the book with a better understanding and appreciation for Chinese culture and it’s youth.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 This book is a fascinating look into Chinese culture. It has a sort of literary Sex in the City feel- different people, women mostly, tell their stories to the author. At times you almost feel as if you are in a coffee shop listening to them detail their personal lives. While I liked the style the book was written in, I was surprised that there were no sources listed at the end. This may have to do with the e-version I received to review, but I found it peculiar given the amount of data given throughout. The author would reference a survey or an article, but gives no sources for this information. I also found the formatting irritating a times. The POV would change from the woman telling the story to the author with no indication. Perhaps in the printed edition the font is different, but it was very distracting to read in the ebook.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journalist Jemimah Steinfeld’s exploration of China’s new generation is both thought-provoking and enlightening. Over the last few years China has changed out of all recognition and yet in many aspects of life the old attitudes still linger. By means of interviews and candid discussions Steinfeld delves into what young people really think and feel about love, sex, marriage and dating and presents the reader with a fascinating insight into the lives of young people in China today. A must read for anyone visiting the country or merely interested in finding out more about it.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it. However, if you've not read Evan Osnos' 'Age of Ambition' and were choosing between the two, I'd probably pick that one first. It has a lot of overlap but I preferred Osnos' selection of anecdotes and profiles (many of which Steinfeld covers, too, in less detail).

[Cynthia Dearin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this surprising journey into the lives of China's youth and their attitudes towards money, love and marriage, sex and dating and politics and religion. Well-written and easy to read, this book is a must for people keen on learning about Chinese culture.

[Rhonda Lomazow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the lives of Chinese youth.their attitudes to love sex marriage.An eye opening look at this young generation & a peek inside their culture .

[Kimfu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favorite kind of book: very educational and thoroughly enjoyable! I wish more books were that way!

二零一七年： 第一本书

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read but no big surprises for me in terms of content.

[Kristine]

Had to return it to the library so DNF, but if I were to give other reasons for not finishing, it would be the lack of statistics and overuse of personal opinion to justify the author's stance. The examples given were mostly from individual viewpoints and seemed cherry-picked to prove her point and/or personal assumptions. I like my nonfiction to be informative yet relatable, and admittedly that's tough to achieve, but most such books have not disappointed me thus far. Well, maybe till this one.

Or maybe my standards have changed due to the nature of my required readings every week...