< What Chinese Men Really Think of Western Women

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Heard on All Things Considered

July 4, 2008 - ROBERT SIEGEL, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

And we're going to finish this hour with two stories from Beijing, stories about music and love. First, we're going to check in with the Internet TV station, "Sexy Beijing," and its proprietor, Su Fei. She has this story about romance as she lives the life of a young, single American woman in China.

Ms. ANNA SOPHIE LOEWENBERG (Actress): (As Su Fei) It's Friday noon in Beijing, time for another power lunch with my girlfriends. The four of us dish up healthy portions of sesame noodles and pickled chicken feet. And as usual, we dish out the details of our troubled dating lives.

Guys, I find Chinese guys so sensual. They don't have all these, like, expectations.

LAO(ph): I never feel super comfortable in Beijing, it's because of my size, like, maybe like double size of his, you know?

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LOEWENBERG: (As Su Fei) Lao is from France and I'm from California, and we spent years dating Chinese guys. Mia and Lixia(ph) are Chinese, but they're hot for foreign guys. Mia is only in her 20s and she could write the Chinese guidebook for dating foreigners.

MIA LEE: He just takes me everywhere like, like his free translator. And he would take me to his boss to negotiate about his salaries, and I got so fed up. I said we're supposed to be partners, but you are like my son and I'm not really ready to adopt.

LIXIA ZHANG: I think some Western men will have fun to sleep with Chinese women.

Ms. LOEWENBERG: (As Su Fei) Lixia is in her 40s.

LIXIA: They think that the Chinese woman is pretty, sweet little girl. A lot of Chinese women are really strong-willed, and then they found out Chinese women are kind of like dragon ladies.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LOEWENBERG: (As Su Fei) If Western men can be so wrong about dating Chinese women, I wonder what the average Chinese guy thinks about dating a young (speaks in foreign language), a foreign girl like me. I'm taking my love search to (speaks in foreign language) Alley. This place has been home to a bustling bizarre snack market since the Ching Dynasty, when (speaks in foreign language) temple still stood here.

I spot a guy sporting a Chinese "Miami Vice" look when his gold chain catches my eye. I figured he must have at least a few young (speaks in foreign language) in his little black book.

Unidentified Man #1: (Speaking foreign language)

Ms. LOEWENBERG: (As Su Fei) None. None, he tells me. I continued down the alley asking every decent-looking guy along the way if they've ever dated a foreigner. The answer?

Unidentified Man #2: No, no. No.

Ms. LOEWENBERG: (As Su Fei) But every guy remembers the first time they saw a foreign girl and it seemed that they all saw the same girl. You know, that tall blonde with the big nose, and she was beautiful. I'm not sure what all this foreign girl love means for me this weekend, but I'm not giving up this search. I asked this guy with shaggy hair and sunglasses if he'll go on a date with me.

Unidentified Man #3: (Speaking foreign language)

Ms. LOEWENBERG: (As Su Fei) If my wife lets me. Right. I have to catch them before they get married.

(Soundbite of music)

Ms. LOEWENBERG: (As Su Fei) Oh, well. I've been here for 12 years and my social life is about as happening as an ancient relic.

For NPR News, this is Su Fei in Beijing.

SIEGEL: Su Fei is the Chinese name assumed by Anna Sophie Loewenberg. In the story, she spoke with the Lixia Zhang(ph), Mia Lee, Rachel Dupree(ph) and Lao (unintelligible).

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