China’s Unfolding Romantic Revolution: Is It Powerful Enough to Reshape Marriage?

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC; REGISTRATION REQUIRED; LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE

BOOK TALK:
China’s Unfolding Romantic Revolution: Is It Powerful Enough to Reshape Marriage?

with

MELISSA SCHNEIDER, MSW’08, LCSW
Couples Therapist and Author

and

QIN GAO (moderator)
Professor of Social Policy & Founding Director, China Center for Social Policy

Sponsored by

China Center for Social Policy

EVENT DESCRIPTION

For centuries, Chinese marriage involved matchmakers, child brides, dowries, and concubines. Change entered the picture with the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, but still the Western ideal of romantic love was frowned upon. Fast forward a few decades, and with China’s increased wealth, love is in the air—or is it? Couples are holding hands, going on dates, and insisting on choosing their own spouses; but have marriage norms fundamentally altered? At this event, 2006 alumna and couples therapist Melissa Schneider, LCSW (bio) discusses the findings of her book, The Ugly Wife Is a Treasure at Home: True Stories of Love and Marriage in Communist China. Prompted by a move to Shenzhen, China, just two days after her own wedding, Schneider grew curious about the dynamics underpinning love and relationships in this very different part of the world. She conducted interviews with 48 people, all of whom were born after the rise of the communist party (between the 1950s and 1990s). Twenty-eight of their stories are included in her book.

LIVESTREAM INFORMATION

About five minutes before the event, go to this link:

https://livestream.com/accounts/3727021/events/8809575

All registrants will receive a reminder of this link around 30 minutes before the program starts.

Notes:

• Do not open the link in more than one window or you will hear an echo.
• Make sure your speaker volume is turned up.
• Type your questions for the speakers into the chat.
• Ethernet is more reliable than wifi.

QUESTIONS

Questions on Livestream? Contact swcommunications@columbia.edu.