The Mistress Culture in China

Sugar daddy dating has become an emerging trend in the big cities of America, Europe, and Australia. Rising tuition costs, high unemployment levels, and lower wages have suddenly made the prospect of being a ‘sugar girl’ more exciting. A lot of women have openly said that they had no qualms about being a sugar girl, and they will continue to be one as long as they are ‘valuable’ in the market. Although sugar daddy relationships are generally being thought of as a Western phenomenon, the concept of keeping mistresses has been a part of Chinese culture since times immemorial. However, the recent double-digit growth in Chinese economy has turned many Chinese men into enviable billionaires, and in-turn, created a new breed of young, educated women who aren’t too perturbed with the idea of being a concubine. Sugar daddy relationships in the west are often based on the concept of having a “no-strings” attached relationship, but in China, there is a power element attached to them. Mistresses are kept as a status-symbol, and showered with expensive gifts and luxuries. Women in these relationships are seldom naïve or immature; in fact, they are completely aware of what they are getting into. They understand that in exchange of all the materialistic pleasures, they have to offer sex and companionship to their wealthy, married partners. Many know that their relationships have no future, and sooner or later, their paramour will desert them for a new muse. However, this understanding also gives these women the pragmatism of making the most while they are in it. Fancy apartments, expensive cars, latest gadgets, and international clothes are only a few of the benefits these women receive for being a concubine. One reason that explains the pervasiveness of the ‘mistress culture’ in China is that its newfound economic power has had a massive impact on those who have benefitted from it. A majority of rich in China are not the ones who were born with a silver spoon. They have come through the ranks and became rich over a course of time. For these rich men, flaunting a hot and beautiful mistress is like showing off a brand new imported car. The society does not look down upon any ostentatious behavior, and showing off your stuff is considered to be something that comes along with wealth. Although there are many layers to the mistress culture in China, one thing is for sure – the country’s economic advancement has had a profound effect on the rise of this culture, and as things stand, this will only become more ubiquitous in the times to come.