(WEB CHINA)CHINA-SHANGHAI-ALL-BOYS SCHOOL-MASCULINITY CRISIS

SHANGHAI, March 30, 2012 (Xinhua) -- Two students walk past the gate of Shanghai's No. 8 High School in Shanghai, east China, March 24, 2012. Authorities in Shanghai are considering establishing an all-boys high school in response to a so-called "masculinity crisis" among male Chinese youth. The idea has caused a stir in Chinese cyberspace, with some hailing the move as a bold method of reform and others decrying it as an act of discrimination. East China Normal University and the local government of the Huangpu district recently signed an agreement to jointly study the feasibility of establishing an all-boys senior high school that would be affiliated with Shanghai's No. 8 High School. The idea of a masculinity crisis in China has been gaining ground in recent years, with some experts citing the physically and emotionally weak appearance of Chinese boys as evidence of an erosion of masculinity. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)