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Laurie Chen

A woman from southwestern China who recorded a song encouraging her 33-year-old son to find someone to marry at Lunar New Year has become a viral hit with thousands of fans.
Tao, a blogger from Chengdu in Sichuan province, put his mother’s message on a video-sharing website. On Sunday, it found its way onto Weibo, China’s Twitter-like service, before official media, including People’s Daily, picked it up.
The song quickly gained fans for its earnest lyrics, while an accompanying video of Tao’s parents dancing added to its appeal. The People’s Daily Weibo repost attracted thousands of likes and shares, and by Monday the video had been watched more than 6 million times.
“The fattest flower on the plain, you’re still single at over 30, don’t be discouraged,” Tao’s mother sings. “Although you haven’t grown to be good-looking, you’re not too bad. Dry your tears and find a date over Lunar New Year!”


The Red Star News website quoted Tao as saying that he had a 30-year-old sister who was also single.
“My parents are especially determined to get both of us married,” he said. “They have outgoing personalities – especially my mum who likes to film short videos of herself dancing.”

On Weibo, many users said the video reflected the attitudes of elderly and middle-aged relatives who, during family reunions at Lunar New Year, pried into the personal lives of young people or put pressure on them to find partners.
99 ethnic Chinese couples tie knot in Malaysian mass wedding
In recent years, more millennials who chose to stay single until into their 30s have voiced complaints on social media about the behaviour of older relatives.
“Don’t get married and don’t have kids, then you’ll have peace,” wrote one Weibo user whose message on the viral song thread was liked more than 3,000 times.
“When I return home over Lunar New Year, the one thing that always leads to family arguments with my mum and dad is when they pressure me to get married,” said another.
But there was praise for Tao’s parents from other users, who liked the humorous way the middle-aged couple approached the issue.

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China society

Chinese woman’s song urging son to find Lunar New Year love becomes viral hit

Parents of a video blogger from Sichuan are a hit with millions of social media users after their song and video imploring their son to marry went viral. Photo: Handout

A 33 years old man's middle-age parents wrote him a funny song encouraging him to get married and date over Chinese New year. The song went viral on social media. Photo: Handout

Chinese tradition and business meet as incense makers prepare for Lunar New Year

Incense-making in Yongchun county has become a generational business and the product has a worldwide reputation. Photo: AFP

This photo taken on December 11, 2019 shows a worker placing incense sticks on wooden platforms to dry at the Fujian Xingquan Incense Factory in the city of Quanzhou in China's Fujian Province. - With the approach of the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, it's an important time of year for the villagers of Yongchun county, a mountainous area of southeastern Fujian province that supplies much of the world's incense. (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP)

This photo taken on December 11, 2019 shows a worker stacking newly produced incense sticks at the Fujian Xingquan Incense Factory in the city of Quanzhou in China's Fujian Province. - With the approach of the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, it's an important time of year for the villagers of Yongchun county, a mountainous area of southeastern Fujian province that supplies much of the world's incense. (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP)

China’s ice festival features mass snow wedding and crystal towers

Couples attend their group wedding ceremony at the annual ice festival in Harbin. Photo: Reuters

Fireworks explode during a ceremony on the opening night of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020. The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival is known for massive, elaborate, and colorfully lit ice sculptures featuring animals, cartoon characters, and various landmarks. (Chinatopix via AP)

epa08103711 A participant swims in the freezing waters of the Songhua River during a winter swimming competition at the 36th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, 05 January 2020. EPA-EFE/WU HONG

Chinese bar owner goes on rampage after parents pile on pressure to get married

A Chinese bar owner named Liu smashed up his shop and public amenities, blaming the outburst on resentment of his parents who, he says, insist he gets married. Photo: Weibo

=== PHOTO CAPTURED FROM WEIBO === A Chinese bar owner smashed his own shop and other public facilities nearby in drunken rage this week over his parentsÕ constant pestering for him to marry. 

Police from the Pengbu branch in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, arrested the 27-year-old man, identified only by his surname, Liu, after citizens reported on Wednesday that someone had been vandalising public facilities around the city. The police arrived at a public toilet to find Liu with bleeding fists and broken pieces of doors. He was later detained by the police and fined 10,000 yuan, according to local newspaper Dushi Kuaibao. 

Liu owns a bar in the district and the business has not been unsatisfactory since opening six months ago. Even the onset of the holiday season seems to have made no difference, according to the report said. 

Photo: WEIBO.

News

China

People & Culture


Video watched 6 million times after blogger from Sichuan puts his mother’s message online



Video watched 6 million times after blogger from Sichuan puts his mother’s message online.


Lunar New Year

Families in China

Chinese culture