Li Chengde eats Hu Xing'er's soft rice? Can men in modern society "eat soft rice"?

The structure of family economic resources is changing, and of course, the concept must also change. People who question Li Chengde's "soft rice" are more or less "conceptual prisoners" who are somewhat out of touch with the background of the times. The picture shows That on December 28, 2015, Li Chengde and Hu Xing'er got married in Hong Kong. (ICphoto/Photo)

Entertainment news is not always about dirt and grime, chicken and dog pieces, and occasionally there are some thought-provoking world events. For example, Hong Kong star Hu Xing'er and her husband Lee Cheng-tak, who have recently developed in the mainland, have encountered a small "soft rice storm".

After Hu Xing'er moved to the interior, her development was smooth and her career was booming, but she also caused "success troubles": there were not many people who were popular. Her husband, Li Chengde, has recently been photographed taking his son out to play, which has caused the Internet to question whether Li Chengde is "eating soft rice". Li Chengde immediately responded: He has worked hard for more than ten years, there are several companies of his own, this year's business is very good, he likes to accompany his family and children after work, hoping to be understood. Hu Xing'er even sent a text to support her husband, saying that her husband spent more time with her children because she was filming in the mainland and was very grateful for her husband's support for her. She also said that her husband can work even if he does not work at all, not because he eats his own soft meals, but because his career has been very successful and stable. The couple educated the skeptics in a slightly Versailles style.

It is said that "eating soft rice" is a Shanghai dialect, which originally meant "little white face" that was adopted by women, and later generally referred to men who had no source of income and relied on women to earn money to support their families.

Such men should also have existed in ancient times, but it should not be accidental that the proper term "eating soft rice" appeared in modern Shanghai. Because in ancient China, agriculture and handicrafts were the mainstays, independent livelihood required high physical strength, and women's ability to make an independent living was highly limited, and the family economic division of labor of "male outside and female inside" was difficult to be broken. Men who can't afford to support their families are even very unlikely to start a family, so how can they expect to "eat soft rice"?

Until the rise of modern industrial and commercial civilization, the strong development of industry has strengthened women's economic independence, social concepts have gradually opened up, and the family economic division of labor has shown signs of loosening. This series of changes, which first occurred in Europe, which took the lead in realizing the industrial revolution, gradually affected Chinese society with the opening of the country's doors in the late Qing Dynasty and the gradual eastward wind. As a bridgehead for Western civilization to enter China, Shanghai has been most directly affected. With the improvement of women's economic status, "eating soft rice" has become a remarkable social phenomenon.

However, the gender division of labor in the family economy has not been completely reversed, and men as the main source of family economics are still relatively common. Therefore, "male outside, female inside" still plays a role in the public's concept.

I have a male friend who has demonstrated great talent when I was a student, and my career has been very successful after returning from studying abroad. His wife is also an excellent professional woman. The couple is deeply in love and has a son and a daughter. In the eyes of others, it is a typical model family. However, the wife was given a rare opportunity for promotion, which caused a big impact on the family. Because she was promoted to work in Europe this time, she could bring her spouse and children, and she was not a problem financially. The friend's wife said she would rather give up the promotion if she couldn't go to Europe with her family. My friend, her husband, faced a difficult choice. However, if you want to help your wife seize this career opportunity, the husband must give up his career at home and become a "housewife" in Europe.

This incident also alarmed the elderly on both sides, and the old people were quite worried. In particular, my friend's parents are very disgusted by their son's abandonment of his career to "eat soft rice", and my friend himself has concerns about this. However, he finally decided to fulfill his wife and resolutely went to Europe with her. After a few years, their life in Europe was very happy, and the elderly in the family were also very pleased. As long as it is conducive to family management, "the female outside, the male protagonist inside" is not inevitable, the main constraint comes from the concept, not the economic foundation.

Of course, most chinese urban families are dual-career workers and don't have to face the dilemma of choosing one or the other. This also means that the gender division of labor in the traditional family economy has lost its soil, and since both sides must be "outside the master", they must also be "inside the master" - to share the housework. As for who does more and who does less, it should also be reasonably distributed according to the actual situation, "the more I earn, the less housework should be done" is not the right solution. Work flexibly and do more, and do more work that can be done and are good at doing, rather than being limited to the traditional concept of "male inside and female outside".

"Male inside, female outside" is natural, to the emergence of "eating soft rice" alternative, and then to the main inside and outside the main to see the situation, is the natural change of family management to adapt to social and economic conditions, there is no need to be surprised. The times are changing, the structure of family economic resources is changing, and of course, concepts must change with them. It doesn't matter whether it's "progress" or regression, it's about adapting to the evolution of social change. People who question Li Chengde's "soft rice" are more or less "conceptual prisoners" who are somewhat out of touch with the background of the times.

With the development of Internet information technology, the standard template of making money and cleaning at home will be broken sooner or later. Since the outbreak of the new crown, working from home has become a common practice, and the future "inside and outside" boundaries will be blurred.

In the future, we will not be able to see people who seem to be "squatting at home", frequently sunbathing, and will willingly accuse others of "eating soft rice". Maybe people are the "invisible big guys" who work from home, but you don't understand it yourself.

Even if people really "eat soft rice", as long as the wife is willing to raise him, outsiders have no room for beaks. In 1990, a man who had been raised by his wife for six years went out to work, and he won two industry awards that year, and became famous in one fell swoop. This former "soft rice man" was called Ang Lee.

(The author is a historian and economist)

(This article is only the author's personal opinion and does not represent the position of this newspaper)

Jiang Dongyu