The joys and trials of generation s

Where one woman itches to tie the knot, another laps up the choices and freedom that being unattached gives her. But singlehood is a huge social problem for China. Or is it?

Whoever coined the Chinese term shengnyu a decade or so ago must have had an inkling that it was likely to offend at least half the population.

The term, meaning "leftover woman", and referring to an unmarried female in her late 20s or older, is variously defined in dictionaries as humorous or pejorative, and the choice between those two may even come down to the gender of the dictionary compiler.