Relationships with opposite-gender peers: the ‘fine line’ between an acceptable and unacceptable ‘liking’ amongst children in a Chinese rural primary school

This article offers new empirical data examining how Chinese children construct their understandings of heterosexuality and opposite-gender relationships with school peers. Gender differences separation between girls boys are commonly argued to be a ‘gender rule’ central children’s peer cultures at school. However, this is rarely explored from perspectives in China’s relatively conservative context. Drawing on rural primary ethnographic fieldwork aged 11–13 teachers mid-West China, the research unearthed curiosity about unpacks articulation ‘fine line’ acceptable ‘liking’ unacceptable sits within cultures. These evidently shaped by socio-cultural norms teachers’ attitudes towards gender. causes paradoxically experience both anxiety around romance practicing heterosexual Significantly improving sexuality relationship education context also discussed.