Niang pao (Chinese: 娘炮) is a derogatory Chinese term for men perceived to be effeminate.
Niang pao literally translates to "girlie guns / girlie cannons" but is more commonly translated as "sissy".[1] It is generally used as an insult for effeminate men.[2] Because of this it is considered to be a gender-based slur.[3]
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used the term in a 2018 Xinhua item intended to show its preference for the portrayal of virile Chinese men on the Internet.[4]
In 2018, the official WeChat account of People’s Daily published a commentary denouncing “such derogatory phrases including ‘niangpao,’” and called for respect and tolerance of diversified aesthetics.[5]
In 2019, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences endorsed the theory that the United States Central Intelligence Agency initiated the phenomenon with a deliberate "campaign to 'brainwash' Asian men" starting in 1962 in Japan with the Johnny & Associates talent agency.[6]
The National Radio and Television Administration used the term in a 2021 edict condemning the television portrayal of effeminate men, as part of CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's broader crackdown on gender differences and non-conforming social identities.[7] The Guardian noted Chinese television programs Youth With You and Produce 101 as examples that were targeted.[8]