Date Night China

This week we have a round table chat with 3 black expats & entrepreneurs about their media platforms and businesses in Beijing. They share how building a community is integral to their lives here, how COVID has made them more intentional with relationships, and they share about their love lives. Our guests discuss dating and one person reveals how they survived a kidnapping attempt in China - can you guess who it is? Listen to find out!

Our guests:

Interested in sharing your story for a video or the podcast? Fill out our media interview form: http://dncsurveys.mikecrm.com/zwpDxYL

Is talking about mental health on a first date a red flag or green flag? This week we’ve asked several China daters to tell us how they would feel if their date mentioned they were seeing a therapist on a first date. And on top up that, we’ve brought in a licensed therapist to respond! Xiaojie is a therapist who founded CandleX, an organization dedicated to bringing knowledge, awareness, and support on mental health to the international community in China. We'll discuss how to bring up mental health you’re dating and also ask Xiaojie what it's like dating as a therapist. 

1:58 Meet Xiaojie, licensed therapist and founder of CandleX in Beijing

2:38 How would you feel if someone brought up mental health on a first date?

3:18 Three positive responses to sharing about mental health

9:55 One response on why it’s not good to share on a first date

11:44 Going step by step with a relationship, vulnerability vs oversharing

15:27 What’s the intention behind sharing information?

18:14 Therapy used as a buzzword or status

23:48 Knowing when and how to share about mental health

27:56 What’s it like dating as a therapist?

Join our DNC community! Find Date Night China on WeChat by searching: datenightchina. You can also join our WeChat group by adding Rachel on Wechat: rachelweiss22

Traditionally in China if you were female and unmarried by the age of 27, the term "leftover women" (shèngnǚ 剩女) was used to describe your social status. But nowadays, many Chinese women have more economic independence without the same pressure as before. In this episode we talk to 3 Chinese women about the pressures single women face and how the term "leftover women" has changed. We also discuss beauty standards, how Chinese women are portrayed in media, and how to fight the stigma of being single. 

Join our DNC community! Find Date Night China on WeChat by searching: datenightchina. You can also join our WeChat group by adding Rachel on Wechat: rachelweiss22

How do expats feel about dating in China in 2022? Since COVID began, the dating landscape in China has changed, with many expats stuck outside China or deciding to leave for good. The expats who stayed through COVID might be approaching dating and relationships differently. In this episode we’ve asked 7 expats in Beijing how they feel dating has changed in China, if people are being more intentional with dating, and what they predict for their dating lives this year.

1:00 Welcome back to Date Night China!

5:45 How has the dating landscape changed in China since COVID?

6:10 Expat Circles in Beijing

16:00 Are people more intentional with dating in China now?

16:20 “Fight or flight or fuck” – Lebo

17:20 Be upfront about who you are - Kelly

22:55 Expat lifestyle being transient China – Aleese

25:02 COVID makes us realize our volatility of life in China - Mark

28:28 Relationship changes during COVID

32:00 What people predict for their dating lives this year in China

32:05 Being okay with silence – Cale

32:45 Focus on the now but have conversations about the future – Kelly

34:20 Building connections here in China - Mike

35:18 Figure out your hobbies and like – Valentine

36:49 “Don’t date in China” – Aleese

37:39 Aiming for stillness -Mark

Join our DNC community! Find Date Night China on WeChat by searching: datenightchina. You can also join our WeChat group by adding Rachel on Wechat: rachelweiss22

Date Night China is back with Season 3! China is such an international melting pot, and at Date Night China we’re all about exploring how expats and Chinese people alike connect here.

This podcast is not just about dating – it’s also about having healthy relationships with yourself, your partner if you have one, as well as the other people in your social circles that make life meaningful in China.

Find Date Night China on WeChat by searching: datenightchina. You can also join our WeChat group by adding Rachel on Wechat: rachelweiss22

It’s been an incredible season and it was difficult to decide what to discuss for the last episode. We wanted to remember the good times and share some golden moments from season 2.

We’ve covered so much this season so if you’ve missed out on a few episodes don’t worry, this will catch you up and you can always go back and listen to the full episode. Also, hear some bonus material from the hosts, reflecting on the guests and the topics covered this season!

Episodes covered in this special episode are No.2, No.4, No.5, No.7, No.8 & No.10. To listen to these individual episodes in full, scroll down to listen to the full story!

Thanks for supporting DNC and you'll hear from us in Season 3, in the meantime, check out our platforms and events to keep in touch with the dating and relationship community in China!

Date Night China invites China Untold podcast host Matt Bossons to reveal China's craziest sex scandals! From public masturbation and changing room f***ing to beastiality and online voyeurism - they discuss it all! The hosts also reveal who's a member of the mile high club and how much money they'd charge to pimp themselves out for Chinese Spring Festival. 

On this episode we speak to Shagi and Ully Defoe who have been together for a whopping 11 years. And the cherry on top is they met right here in Beijing! During the episode we hear their secrets on keeping the spark alive, lessons from their dating journey, maintaining a long-term relationship, how to get past cheating, and advice for China daters looking for lasting love!

Do beauty standards affect how people date in China? Eleanor, Rachel, and Boitha discuss prevalent beauty standards in China and the pressures expat women face because of them. We also read out responses from other China female daters and dig into the question: is it more difficult for expat women to date in China than expat men?