6 days ago
A video game on 'gold diggers' is fuelling a sexism debate in China
Some people online have suggested the game is inspired by the real-life story of a Chinese man, known as Fat Cat on the internet, who jumped to his death last year after a breakup.
His death sparked an intense discussion online, where the term "gold digger" was liberally used, with some accusing his ex-girlfriend of exploiting him, leading him to take his life. Police have dismissed these allegations.
Women who spoke to the BBC worry that the video game perpetuates problematic gender norms in China, where society believes women belong at home, while seeing men as the primary breadwinners.
So for women, marrying well has traditionally been perceived as more important than professional success.
Official rhetoric from the male-dominated Chinese Communist Party endorses this - President Xi Jinping has repeatedly called on women to embrace their roles as "good wives and mothers".
The government has also cracked down on a growing pool of activists demanding gender equality.
"I feel a game like that merely fans hostility between men and women," says one woman who did not want to be named, fearing hostility online.
"It casts women, once again, as the inferior gender who have to somehow find ways to please men to earn their livelihoods."