Gentlemen of East 8th, a TV show about the plight of four aspiring men, has become Douban’s (China’s IMDB) lowest-rated series with a score of 2.1.
The show was written by Zhang Han, who also plays the main character, an AI engineer called Tong Yu.
Set in Shanghai in 2020, the story follows Tong and his friends Guo Chong, a university teacher, Xiang Xiaofei, a brand manager, and Jason Li, a chef at a western restaurant, as the quartet face difficulties in their work, personal and love lives.
We soon realize that it is no surprise that the men encounter trouble within their marriages and relationships... as they are all extraordinarily misogynistic.
Netizens across China’s social media platforms have been left baffled as to how the show has been able to get away with using some of the slurs against women that are frequent throughout the series, which has 40 episodes, each one lasting 45 minutes.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most shocking quotes to come from the show.
"Women, after they are hurt they are the most terrible animal – they bleed for thousands of years but don’t die. Am I right?"
"Since I was small, my mum always told me, ‘Skinny is attractive, but fat is useful.’"
(This quote is in reference to larger women presumably having bigger breasts and having bodies that are supposedly more fun in bed).
"Now we are just friends, but after we mess around for a bit, we’ll be friends with benefits."
"I don't think a sailor needs just one dock; he has to conquer all the docks in the world."
(A reference to sleeping with many women or having many girlfriends)
"Do you like spicy food? No wonder your body is so sexy."
(In Chinese the word spicy, 辣 (la) can also mean sexy)
"If you take me, I’ll go towards your private parts."
"Sleeping with foreign women is like bringing glory to your country."
Zhang, 37, is a Chinese singer, actor and host from Qiqihar, Heilongjiang. He shot to fame after playing Murong Yunhai in the rom-com drama Meteor Shower (2009) and it’s prequel, Meteor Shower II (2020).
In 2018, he won the Breakthrough Television Actor award at the 10th China TV Drama Awards.
Given the reaction to Gentlemen of East 8th, we can’t imagine Zhang will be winning more awards anytime soon.
[Image via Weibo]
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