In China, the desire to be perceived as marriageable and successful has long driven men to adhere to a rigid (and largely unrealistic) model of masculinity – but societal shifts have sparked changes in attitudes. What does the ’modern man’ look like and what does he value in life?

The lives of Chinese Gen Zers – digital natives who grew up amid prosperity – are vastly different from their parents’. Yet while they’re feeling empowered and connected to the world, they’ve not shunned tradition entirely. How are apps, games, and fashion labels reminding youth of their heritage?

Younger Chinese consumers are no longer turning to advertisements to help them shop – they’re listening to each other instead. Shanghai-based app Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) is harnessing social commerce and changing the way luxury consumers learn about products online.

Upticks in male make-up and luxury sales, alongside the rising influence of ‘pretty boys’, point to a shift in gender norms among men in China. But government officials are looking to tamp down what they see as the ‘feminisation’ of men, and their efforts have the country divided in opinion.