Last week I talked about stereotypes; specifically the image of foreign men in China as lecherous creeps there to defile local women. Well, two can play that game; and by “game” I mean stereotyping, not defiling of women, although that would also be accurate.
One of the most prominent Chinese stereotypes in the popular western imagination is that everyone is small, both vertically and horizontally. In fact, this is a falsehood maintained by many Chinese people themselves. While I was in China I repeatedly heard things like, “Foreigners all eat burgers and pizza, which is why they’re all fat, but we Chinese are very health.” After a while I got so sick of hearing this that I put myself on “Fat Watch”, which basically entailed taking photos of fat Chinese people from my bedroom window. Realising that I was just gathering material that could potentially be used against me either in court or on a psychiatrist’s couch, I desisted after about a week. However, I would like to point out that during that time I did successfully acquire enough empirical evidence to cast serious doubt over the validity of the stereotype. But for anyone who still holds the view that Chinese people are itty bitty, let me introduce Dan Dan:
18 month Dan Dan is more than double the standard weight for her age group
The condition of this 18 month old child has baffled her parents, who say they have no idea how she got so big. Maybe she has glandular problems; maybe she’s overfed; who knows. The point is that while Dan Dan is unusual in making the news, she is just one of millions of other Chinese children who are part of a growing obesity epidemic.
In 2006 China’s Third National Childhood Obesity Survey showed that the rate of obesity among 0-6 year old children was 7.2%. In 1986 the figure was only 0.9% and in 1996, 2%. Between 1985 and 2005, the total percentage of obese and overweight 7-18 year-olds increased from 1.6% and 1.8% to 32.5% and 17.6%, for males and females respectively. These figures show that the obesity prevalence in some urban Chinese populations is on a par with that of developed countries.
Research has shown that one of the causes of this phenomenon is a change in diet to one that is high in fat and low in fibre. Increased obesity levels have also been linked with higher incomes and lower levels of physical activity. Perhaps the most revealing trend, however, is the discrepancy between boys and girls. Boys are almost twice as likely to be overweight or obese than their female counterparts; a pattern that runs contrary to that found in most developed countries.
Ok, this is the part where I draw uninformed conclusions based on scant evidence, so if you’re sensitive to that kind of thing I suggest you stop reading now.
Still here? Good, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. I think that the epidemic of childhood obesity in China is a direct consequence of the One Child Policy, a growing middle class, and the traditional bias in favour of boys. Parents have more money than they did in the past and, in most cases, just one child to spend it on. These children are spoiled rotten, not just by their parents, but by two sets of grandparents as well, many of whom seek to make up for what was lacking in their own youth by showering their grandchildren with affection and sweet, fatty foods. The phrase 虎头虎脑 in Chinese associates chubbiness with cuteness and vitality, and so many parents and grandparents view their younger relations’ expanding waistlines as a sign that they’re doing something right.
And why are boys fatter than girls? Quite simply, boys are still favoured by most parents and are therefore more likely to get spoiled. Also, while chubbiness is seen as a sign of health and prosperity in males, in females it is a one way ticket to spinsterhood.
As we have seen, childhood obesity illuminates much about modern China, but it also begs some serious questions about its future. Will the healthcare system be able to cope? What role will education have to play? Will agriculture be able to keep up with demand? How will people squeeze onto already crowded buses and trains? I suppose only time will tell…
Sources:
Cheng Yeji and Tsung O. Cheng, Prevalence Cheng Yeji and Tsung O. Cheng and geographic distribution of childhood obesity in China in 2005 (2006)
Shiyun Hu, ’Childhood obesity and overweight in China: beyond a changing diet’ (2011)
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Fascinating statistics. Didn’t realise it was happening here so quickly. It astounds me how many people here are losing the skill of cooking. When I bring lunch to work, they often are amazed that I can cook. They, on the other hand, bring in leftovers from what their parents cooked.
It seems it is going to get worse before it gets better, that’s for sure. It really is a shame that Chinese food is become so bad, when really, if done right, is such a healthy way to eat. All these little fast-food stores, and fried filth are filling the streets, offering both temptation and cheaper alternatives.
I suppose they’ll just have to go through the process like western countries are. I love what they’re doing in New York. I read recently the ban on trans-fats there has already shown positive benefits, and I lost track of the outcome of the attempt to ban fizzy drinks there too, but was very supportive of someone willing to have the courage to attempt to help people where they can’t help themselves.
Who really needs litres of sugar flushed down their throats every day, when water can be consumed for free? It’s a shame China isn’t learning from the west’s mistakes, but instead is emulating them.
Good read Matt.
Hey thanks! It’s interesting that, considering the historical and cultural significance of food in China, the art of cooking at home is rapidly disappearing amongst young people. I hadn’t thought of that before, but it can only be contributing to the obesity problem. I think we’ve just come up with an idea for Jamie Oliver’s new show!
I can only agree. Obesity is actually sometimes considered a good thing in China, Especially in males. Fat = well-fed=wealth. Sometimes I get the impression that the grandparents in particular, are in competition with each other to see who can stuff their grand kids face the most!
Obesity definitely has a home in China. I will say I’ve never seen so many attractive girls with fat guys in any other country in my life before, so perhaps China is the great leveler in some ways. Not sure that’s a good or bad thing mind you, but just an observation.
Sam
ps. As to ‘healthy’ Chinese, oh please… I’ve heard that too. The amount of fatty fried food they have is just insane.
There definitely seems to be a double standard going on, whereby fatness is considered a symptom of western decadence on the one hand, and Chinese prosperity on the other. Interesting point!
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Yes it’s a sign of a country’s prosperity when there are diet products for sale and people are bigger. I see more and more plump little kids in my classes. And I’m afraid I agree that they are often overindulged little emperors, given everything they want. Nearly always a nightmare to teach. Interesting post.
Hey thanks for stopping by. You mention an interesting point – I noticed very little obesity amongst the university students I taught but it definitely seemed much more common in younger students I saw out and about. Just goes to show how recent a problem it is.
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