Warm love, cold calculation a paradox

Discussing Titanic recently, some Chinese female college students readily affirmed having enjoyed what they considered to be a very "romantic" film.

They agreed, too, with one of their classmates who said: "Of course their love would never have lasted." I asked why not? She replied: "They were from different social classes." Her opinion is representative of Chinese tradition, which holds the best marriage matches are between social equals.

This raises an interesting question: Would the students hold the same view of success if the woman in the film was from a lower class than the man? I think not.