Traditionally,
in the eye of Chinese women, there are three
types of prince charming.
The
first type is the cool guy. Cool
guys can be those who take big actions, or
the ones accomplished big achievements, or
simply be kung fu masters, or just be any men
with a sunny and heroic bearing. They don’t
have to look good, don’t even have to be
seen as friendly, but they must be the men
with spine and guts.
They
are adored by both men and women,
particularly by young women who would even
die for them, like what is depicted in the
film Farewell My Concubine.
But
they are like the sun, best appreciated from
a distance, as they have a reputation,
rightly or wrongly, of being an absent father
and neglect husband.
China’s Prince
Charming #1 Pubajia (蒲巴甲), the winner of the
Charming Young Man contest held by a
Shanghai TV station.
A Tibetan native, he’s
like a beam of sunshine and looks every
bit a cool guy.
The
second type is the nice guy. Nice
guys are naturally nice to women and to
everyone, who provides a warm chest for you
to rest on, a sympathetic ear for you to
speak into. They don’t have to be handsome,
and don’t even need to be rich, but
definitely have to have bit heart.
They
are well liked by women, in particular by the
women’s parents who often view them as the
best hubby candidates for their daughters.
In a
way, they are like the moon, illuminating
gently and quietly - pale in comparison to
the sun, but never fail to deliver the light.
China’s Prince
Charming #2 Song Xiaopo (宋晓波)
Born with speech
disabilities, he always responds with
actions. Silence is gold – he’s
certainly one of those who know how to
best interpret this concept. While being
perseverant in pursuing his goal, his
serenity and calmness are contagious.
Many parents now consider him a raw model
for their children.
The
third type is the handsome guy. From
Chinese women’s perspective, a classic
handsome guy shall not be masculine, but
scholarly, ie, being pale, slim and delicate.
But good looking alone won’t make a man a
prince charming, as a scholarly look will
have to be matched with a scholarly brain.
Which means he shall be well-learned and
well-versed or, alternatively, well-scienced.
They
are the stars, and stars in every sense:
romantic, mystical, and frequently
unpredictable. They do not produce energy, as
the sun does, nor create harmony, as the moon
does, they make dreams …… and often, just
make women dream, nothing else.
But
they are the men whom Chinese women truly,
truly, truly fall in love with, and break the
heart for, as what is depicted in the opera
The Peony Pavilion.
