Gender-based slur
Niang pao Chinese :娘炮 ) is a derogatory Chinese term for men perceived to beeffeminate .
Niang pao literally translates to "girlie guns / girlie cannons" but is more commonly translated as "sissy ".[ 1] [ 2]
TheChinese Communist Party (CCP) used the term in a 2018Xinhua item intended to show its preference for the portrayal of virile Chinese men on the Internet.[ 3]
In 2018, the officialWeChat account ofPeople’s Daily [ 4]
In 2019, theChinese Academy of Social Sciences endorsed the theory that the United StatesCentral Intelligence Agency initiated the phenomenon with a deliberate "campaign to 'brainwash' Asian men" starting in 1962 in Japan with theJohnny & Associates talent agency.[ 5]
TheNational Radio and Television Administration used the term in a 2021 edict condemning the television portrayal of effeminate men, as part ofCCP general secretary Xi Jinping 's broader crackdown on gender differences and non-conforming social identities.[ 6] [ 7] [ 8] The Guardian Youth With You Produce 101 [ 9]
^ "China bans men it sees as not masculine enough from TV" .Associated Press Archived from the original on 2023-10-08. Retrieved2021-09-03 .^ Elliott, Josh K."China bans 'sissy' and 'effeminate' men under new macho media rules" .globalnews.ca . Global News.Archived from the original on 15 November 2021. Retrieved15 November 2021 . ^ Lauren Teixeira (November 12, 2018),"China's Pop Idols Are Too Soft for the Party" ,Foreign Policy archived from the original on September 22, 2023, retrievedSeptember 2, 2021 ^ Bloomberg News (September 20, 2021)."China Targets 'Effeminate' Men in Xi's Mounting Push for Conformity" .Bloomberg Archived from the original on 2022-01-31. Retrieved2022-01-31 . ^ Amy Hawkins (October 23, 2019)."CIA turned our celebrities into 'sissy pants', says Chinese Academy of Social Sciences" .The Times of London Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. RetrievedSeptember 3, 2021 . ^ "China bans men it deems not masculine enough from TV in new crackdown" . Associated Press. September 2, 2021.Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. RetrievedSeptember 2, 2021 – viaWDAM-TV .^ Gu, Bo (2021-09-26)."China Tells Effeminate Male Celebrities to Man Up" .Voice of America . Retrieved2025-05-26 . ^ Van Oudenaren, John S. (November 5, 2021)."Chinese Government's Push for Masculinity Targets Boy Bands, Online Influencers" .China Brief .Jamestown Foundation . Retrieved2025-05-26 . ^ Vincent Ni (September 2, 2021)."China bans reality talent shows to curb behaviours of 'idol' fandoms – Broadcasters ordered not to promote 'sissy' men in attempt to reshape country's entertainment industry" .The Guardian .Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. RetrievedSeptember 2, 2021 . 
