A twist in women's search for the ideal man

To have, or not to have a nuannan as a boyfriend, is the question. Nuannan refers to men who are nice and considerate, and will always be there for you. Such traits have made them a favorite of Chinese women this Valentine's Day.

The popularity of the term nuannan even made it one of the buzzwords of 2014, according to the survey of the Chinese National Language Monitoring and Research Center and the Commercial Press.

Since an increasing number of Chinese women are becoming financially independent, their main concern is no longer whether a man can support the family. Rather, many women look for rational, understanding and emotionally balanced partners, who according to psychology consultant Lu Yue seem to be in "short supply" because generally Chinese men seem unwilling to share their feelings with women, be they their girlfriends or wives.