Interesting title I know...but I don't think I have ever delved into this well-known Beijing fact. Yes, believe it or not, the Shunyi Housewives of Beijing are kind of like the Housewives of Orange County...but maybe not as wealthy or ostentatious.
About 40 minutes outside the Jing, there is a small community that resembles the burbs in the US called Shunyi. The burbs, let me tell you, is right.... There is a closed gate and kids can run around the neighborhood like it is the 1950s again...no fear of crime or any other contravening acts. The cookie-cutter 3 story homes have lush backyards and Top Chef grills, with many mao (cats) and gou (dogs). However, this also can spell "boring" for those who live in the area.
Shunyi residents are of all types...from the private sector to government to rich entrepreneurs. One of the few commonalities are the wives (or husbands) who follow their bread-winner, but their jobs did not, for whatever reason, follow them. One might initially think this is despairing, but from within those burbs bands of wives have been known to escape the "Shunyi life" and party in Beijing.
Partying on the town can mean many things to different people. I have seen the wives of Shunyi go from bar to bar, sometimes even hitting on younger men. Whether they were successful I cannot say. Other times, they were just partying in provocative wear. All in all, such a sighting is not very common. But when you do see the high heels, short skirts, and brooches to boot, it is enough to keep your attention at least until the next beer.
I guess that's the definition of Cougars in China too.
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