Concerned parents seek to reduce influence of 'effeminate' role models

Debate rages about the younger generation's apparent lack of overt masculinity. Yao Yuxin reports.

When the temperature rises during China's sweltering summers, few men consider using a parasol or sunscreen, arguing that's something only women - and niang, or "sissies" - do.

Chinese males have long been ashamed to display such delicateness, and looking rough around the edges is a sign of masculinity for many young men struggling to attain maturity, as shown by the beer bellies and shining foreheads flaunted by some middle-aged men at the slightest hint that winter is over.