This thesis explores the self-representation and dating experiences of Chinese heterosexual men on and via dating apps in the UK. It examines how Chinese masculinity is constructed and negotiated in an intercultural dating environment. Using qualitative methods—including 25 semi-structured interviews with Chinese male participants, 14 interviews with female participants, and content analysis of male dating profiles, the thesis examines the negotiation, performance, and perception of Chinese masculinity within the complex landscape of online dating.
I argue that Chinese heterosexual men express their masculinity through their dating profiles and in how they talk about their experiences and expectations, reflecting the influence of both Chinese and Western forms of hegemonic masculinity. From my empirical data, I develop and advance three conceptual contributions: responsive masculinities, defensive masculinities, and hybrid masculinities.
Through profile analysis, I argue that portrayals of masculinity go beyond the wen-wu masculinity framework. Chinese men strategically tailor their self-presentations to what they perceive Chinese and non-Chinese women value, which I conceptualise as responsive masculinities. In interviews, men’s comments of failed dating experiences reveal how critiques of women’s behaviours function as defensive masculinities, produced at the intersection of ethnicity, gender, and cultural norms. Furthermore, interviews with women who dated or interacted with Chinese men highlight the multiplicity of interpretations of Chinese masculinity, underscoring the emergence of hybrid masculinities that combine elements of hegemonic and non-hegemonic ideals across cultural contexts.
Overall, the thesis demonstrates that Chinese men’s dating practices cannot be reduced to the wen-wu masculinity or to Western frameworks alone. Instead, they involve continual negotiation across gendered, racialised, and digital hierarchies. By theorising responsive, defensive, and hybrid masculinities, this research makes an original contribution to masculinity studies and digital culture scholarship, showing how racialised men negotiate vulnerability and desirability in transnational online dating contexts.
