TIANJIN (CHINA): Chinese university tutor Xie Shu’s core subject is Communist ideology, but he has diversified from the dry annals of political doctrine for a more hands-on subject: seduction.
His “Theory and Practice of Romantic Relations” course at Tianjin University includes lectures on pick-up techniques, self-presentation and how to entice the opposite sex.
“How should you react when you’ve been rejected?” Xie asked his young charges at one lecture, in a cafe on the campus in the northern port city. “Clearly, don’t throw the roses that you bought the girl at her — keep calm.”
Tianjin is China’s first university to integrate such a course into its curriculum, giving students credit towards their degrees for attending — an indication of slowly loosening social norms in China after decades of more straight-laced traditionalism. It also demonstrates officials’ increasing concern over the social acumen of the country’s youth -- many of whom grew up as pampered “Little Emperors” without brothers or sisters as a result of China’s one-child policy.