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Tires, Hugs And Kidneys: How Far Some Chinese Will Go To Have An iPhone

CHINA TIMES (Taiwan), XINHUA (China)

Worldcrunch

XIAMEN – Recently, a 17 year-old boy from the Chinese northeastern city of Changchun, in Jilin Province, secretly sold the four tires of his parents’ sports car to buy an iPhone 5.

He sold the tires for about a sixth of their real value. His mother had previously refused to fork out for the newest iPhone.

According to the China Times, this week a young woman in her twenties was seen in front of the Xiamen post office holding a cardboard sign that said “10 Yuan ($1.6) for a hug – to buy an iPhone5. Exact change only.” She might have been slightly embarrassed -- she was hocking her hugs behind a pair of dark sunglasses.

She seemed to have a good thing going. As a Xinhua video shows, apart from all the gawping passersby, “There were three customers in the 10 minutes I was present. One of them was too shy to embrace her so he asked to take a photo with the girl”, one microblogger reported.

This post immediately went viral on the Chinese microblogging services. Many criticized the young woman’s materialism. “At least she sells her own labor to earn the money in comparison with the boy who sold his parents sports car tires!” wrote one blogger.

When the previous Apple offering – the iPhone 4 – was launched in China, a young man sold a kidney to be able to buy the phone. One can’t help wondering what will be up for sale when the iPhone 6 comes out?

Going gaga for the iPhone. Photos iPhone

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LGBTQ Plus

My Wife, My Boyfriend — And Grandkids: A Careful Coming Out For China's Gay Seniors

A series of interviews in Wuhan with aging gay men — all currently or formerly married to women — reveals a hidden story of how Chinese LGBTQ culture is gradually emerging from the shadows.

Image of two senior men playing chinese Checkers.

A friendly game of Checkers in Dongcheng, Beijing, China.

Wang Er

WUHAN — " What do you think of that guy sitting there, across from us? He's good looking."

" Then you should go and talk to him."

“ Too bad that I am old..."

Grandpa Shen was born in 1933. He says that for the past 40 years, he's been "repackaged," a Chinese expression for having come out as gay. Before his wife died when he was 50, Grandpa Shen says he was was a "standard" straight Chinese man. After serving in the army, he began working in a factory, and dated many women and evenutually got married.

"Becoming gay is nothing special, I found it very natural." Grandpa Shen says he discovered his homosexuality at the Martyrs' Square in Wuhan, a well-known gay men's gathering place.

✉️ You can receive our LGBTQ+ International roundup every week directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.

Wuhan used to have different such ways for LGBTQ+ to meet: newspaper columns, riversides, public toilets, bridges and baths to name but a few. With urbanization, many of these locations have disappeared. The transformation of Martyrs' Square into a park has gradually become a place frequented by middle-aged and older gay people in Wuhan, where they play cards and chat and make friends. There are also "comrades" (Chinese slang for gay) from outside the city who come to visit.

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