This Article is From May 11, 2009

Chinese too shy to express love

Chinese too shy to express love

AP image

Beijing:

Many Chinese people are too shy to express love for their parents, a new survey has revealed.

In the survey, conducted on the occasion of Mother's Day, 74.6 per cent of respondents said that they were aware of their mothers' birthday, but only 25.5 per cent would like to actually tell her "I love you", the 'China Daily' reported.

According to the survey, 67 per cent of participants admitted they would prepare some gifts with 70 per cent saying they would spend no more than $74, while 51 per cent said they planned to phone their mother as they would be too busy at work or be away from home.

The poll of 6,000 people was conducted by Beijing-based recruitment website 'Zhaopin.com'.

"This figure suggests mothers occupy an important place in most participants' mind. Yet, many people still find it 'embarrassing' to express their affection," the organiser was quoted as saying.

Agreed Stella Wang, a 27-year-old office worker: "I do love my mother deeply but I have never said 'I love you' that often. It just feels quite weird for me to say it to her in person."

Hu Shoujun, a sociology professor from Shanghai's Fudan University said Chinese people are generally reserved.

"For Chinese, it's unnecessary and even regarded as 'weird' to display their affection for relatives and friends."

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