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Chinese Subcultures
A subculture is described to be a group of individuals within a larger culture that differentiate themselves from the larger culture through distinct interests. . Subcultures are described to be strange and foolish to people not participating in the practices of these particular sects. Though the popular perceptions people have of subcultures are often incomplete and are more based upon hysteria or half truths, many of these individuals participating in subcultures are not so terribly different from people that do not partake in their pactrices. There are many Chinese subcultures that influence the youth across China today.

Bai Fu Mei
 Bai Fu Mei  (Chinese: 白富美; Pinyin: bái fù měi) Bai fu mei describes the Chinese ideals of female beauty which would in this case mean to be pale, rich, and beautiful. The literal translation of the characters 白富美 would be “white”, “rich”, and “beautiful”.

Origins
The character 白(bai) in the term 白富美(bai fu mei) refers to having a pale or fair skin tone. In traditional Chinese culture fair, white skin was highly sought after. A reasoning for this may be that most of the portraits that portrayed Buddha and goddesses whom Chinese citizens looked up to were portrayed to have fair white skin. Another reason for seeking fair skin in China was due to the historical influence of Western fashion and beauty that took place during the late 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. The appearance of Chinese women started becoming more westernized as they started incorporating Western fashion trends such as furred clothing, high heeled shoes, bobbed hair and by using Western beauty products in their daily routines. Evelyn Yeung explained that, “this Euro-centric perspective contends that the yearning for a pale complexion exists because of nonwhite populations’ desire to physically mimic those who are in power”.

Effects
The character 美(mei) in the term 白富美(bai fu mei) refers to be beautiful. As the economy started to grow many Chinese women started to pay more attention to their body images as well as to fast changing trends in fashion and beauty. As the political and social environment of China has started to change, cosmetic surgery has become more common as it has become more socially acceptable. Wen Hua stated that, “according to the China Daily, there are more than 1 million cosmetic surgery operations performed every year throughout the country, and cosmetic surgery has become $2.4 billion yearly industry with a 20 percent growth rate”. Cosmetic surgery clinics and hospitals that offer cosmetic surgeries have significantly grown in major cities in China, providing all different sorts of cosmetic surgeries such as heightening the nose bridge, removing excess fat, eyelid surgery, reshaping the face and lips, lengthening legs and breast surgeries. Evelyn Yeung explained that, ”Even though the preference for fair skin is not a new phenomenon in China, the practices of skin whitening have changed significantly over time”. Before capitalism appeared in China, many Chinese women used traditional Chinese methods such as swallowing crushed pearl powder or applying chalk onto their skin to whiten their skin

Gao fu shuai
 Gao fu shuai (Chinese: 高富帅; Pinyin: gāo fù shuài) According to Jinna Wang, Gao fu shuai “is a term that originated on the internet referring to an ideal guy to date”. The literal translation of characters 高富帅 stand for “tall,” “rich,” and “handsome”, which are seen to be traits that are highly desired by Chinese society for Chinese men in modern China.

Xiao qing xin
Xiao qing xin (Chinese: 小清新; Pinyin: xiǎo qīng xīn) 小清新 are typically described to be young women that process traits such as gracefulness and are usually portrayed to be artsy. Jinna Wang describe these young women to be, “privileged enough to have refined tastes in food, travel, music, and lifestyle” They have a preference towards clothes in pastels and whites as the colours give off a fresh and youthful impression. The words “清新” literally translates to the word “fresh,” and “小” translates to “little” – so a 小清新 would mean to be like “a little breath of fresh air”.

Origins
The expression 小清新(xiao qing xin) originated from indie pop music. the popularity of xiao qing xin movement or also named the XQX wave has started to influence several other cultural departments such as fashion, cinema and even art. Geneviève Flaven expresses that the XQX wave, “conveys a sense of self-expression, aesthetics, and simplicity, and one can expect more sophisticated inspiration and a more creative fashion mélange in this generation’s future”.

Diao si nan
Diao si nan(Chinese: 屌丝男; Pinyin: diǎo sī nán) Claire Zhang and David M. Barreda described that, “The term diaosi originated as an insult for a poor, unattractive young person who stayed at home all day playing video games, with dim prospects for the future”. The term Diao si nan is used to describe a guy that possesses the qualities of a “diaosi”, as the characters 屌丝 are translated by Chinese internet as the term for “loser” while the character 男 translates to the word “male”.

Origins
Claire Zhang and David M. Barreda explained that the term diao si nan, “has become a self-deprecating counter to the gaofushuai, or the ‘tall-rich-handsome,’ those with status, success, and bright futures”. The term diao si was originally used as an insult towards males of average appearance and mediocre social standing. However the term went viral on the internet and has become popular among Chinese youth. Claire Zhang and David M. Barreda stated that, “the number of people who refer to themselves as diaosi has continued to grow, and it is slowly transforming into a descriptor of the ordinary Chinese citizen who faces everyday struggles and hardships”. .

Sha ma te
Sha ma te (Chinese: 杀马特; Pinyin: shā mǎ tè) Sha ma te is one of the most well known and popular subculture between the Chinese subcultures. Jinna Wang explained that the Sha ma te “typically consist of rural transplants who only had a middle school education and ended up working in urban low paying jobs at hair salons, internet cafes or restaurants”. They are seen to have exaggerated hairstyles, heavy makeup, flamboyant costumes, and piercings. The style has a close resemblance to the ‘emo’ trend that was popular in 2000s.

Origins
The term 杀马特(Sha ma te) originally comes from the English word ‘smart’, the term represents ‘stylish’ or ‘hot’ in Chinese. Sha ma te is a subculture of Chinese youth, they are often children of poor migrant workers, who are marginalized by the conformity of urban cities dominated by yuppies. They are the urbanization counterculture, but they suffer from intense cyber bullying, especially in conformist China, where yuppies associate them with the poor, rural, and uneducated.