It's official: China has entered the age of the metrosexual.

(Members of the international press, just a reminder: This is a personal column, not a disguised version of a government proclamation.)

Last year, there were persistent whispers when Supergirl Li Yuchun gyrated like a tomboy: Is she a lesbian? Is she bisexual?

Time magazine crowned her an "Asian hero," though not necessarily on the basis of her sexual politics: Li Yuchun has always been timid in discussing her androgynous demeanor.

Nevertheless, thousands of Li Yuchun wannabes soon emerged people who disguised their gender so well that it would take a medical examination to be sure.

And now it has come full circle: "My Hero" is presenting a corps of men remarkable for their delicate looks, soft voices and accessorizing skills.

The television contest, organized by Shanghai Media Group, professionally known as SMG, and broadcast on the Shanghai Satellite Station, features young men out-singing, out-dancing and out-courting one another to the screams and tears of a legion of teenage girls.

Their singing is even shakier than that of the Supergirl champion. But one area where they outshine the female contestants of the rival show is in the arena of beauty.

Some in the audience complain they are too sissy; others suggest they might be gay or tailored for a gay audience. But that is tantamount to Bush's "You are either with us or against us" logic. These young men are marching to the drum of diminishing sexual identity. They are beyond gay or straight. Truth is, the object of their love is themselves. In other words, they are China's first generation of self-conscious metrosexuals, even though the word does not have a Chinese equivalent yet and the concept is still making its rounds in glossy magazines.

The storm whipped up by "My Hero" is not really a twister. The fascination with "beautiful men" was most popular in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and metrosexual idols have long been touted by Chinese entertainment editors, who post photos of male celebrities in self-obsessed poses from Rudolf Valentino to Leslie Cheung.

The most obvious influence on the androgynous look that is in vogue today may be Japanese anime, where a typical hero is a youth with big eyes, flowing hair and a supple and slender physique.

Some male audience members hate the show. One from Nanjing even threatened to organize a boycott if the show did not vote out an 18-year-old who has been called "the male counterpart of Li Yuchun."

It does not take a sociologist to know that most voters for "Supergirls" or "My Hero" are young women. Their choice of men or women goes against conventional wisdom, which, come to think of it, is codified by men.

In a male-dominated society, the ideal men are supposed to be macho, and women, well, feminine. In the early 1980s, we had Ken Takakura, a man of few words who captured the hearts of millions of Chinese. But nowadays women want men who can communicate and be gentle and loving. They also want someone who can fill their emotional need for giving love.

One of the hottest "heroes" is an orphan who lost his mother at the age of six, while another has lost hearing and speaking abilities. They do not seem to have any outstanding talent, but are sweet and vulnerable, with good looks to boot. Women go crazy for them. They are the perfect object for motherly or sisterly affection.

It deals a heavy blow to the traditional image of man as the head of the household, the protector who would stare down the threat of the villain. If the two television reality shows are any indication, it seems we are on the threshold of an era when women will not need to be porcelain dolls and men will spend a lot more time grooming themselves.

The metrosexual male fits the role to a tee. He can wear jewellery without being suspected of being a drama queen. He can put on an air of calculated casualness that tells women that he cares without looking obsequious. The appearance of this type of man will elevate the art of courtship, no matter how much other men hate it.

Thanks to Li Yuchun and SMG's "My Hero," sexual politics in China may no longer be what it was.

E-mail: raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/07/2006 page4)