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Lina Ma on Muck Rack

Lina Ma

(She/Her)
New York
As seen in: The New York Times, Substack, NYU, The Diplomat Magazine, Global Voices en Español, Global Voices, Tribune Content Agency, Tolerance Canada
Covers:  Gender, China, digital culture, censorship, media, and social change.

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Lina Ma’s Biography

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Lina Ma is a Chinese-born freelance journalist and research writer based in New York. She covers gender, digital culture, and social change in contemporary China, with a broader interest in human rights and global affairs.

Her reporting and analysis have appeared in The Diplomat, Global Voices, The New York Times (Letter to the Editor), and Global Affairs Review. She is particularly interested in how ordinary people navigate censorship, shifting gender norms, and political change, and how perso…

Lina Ma’s Journalist Portfolio

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When Feminist Speech Disappears Online, Chinese Women Find New Ways to Speak

When Feminist Speech Disappears Online, Chinese Women Find New Ways to Speak

Post-censorship feminism offers insight into how activism adapts when public speech becomes risky.

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The fake parenting expert Chinese daughters invented to talk to their parents

The fake parenting expert Chinese daughters invented to talk to their parents

A fictional parenting expert became a viral sensation after giving Chinese daughters a voice their parents we…

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The daughters who were raised to be everything under China's one-child policy

The daughters who were raised to be everything under China's one-child policy

Blending personal reflection with the experiences of her peers, the writer explores the role of China's only …

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Inside China's hidden eating disorder communities

Inside China's hidden eating disorder communities

On Chinese social media, eating disorders are reframed as discipline and beauty, sustained by coded language,…

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How did an Afghan woman journalist's writing resonate in China?

How did an Afghan woman journalist's writing resonate in China?

Afghan journalist Khadija Haidary's writing unexpectedly resonated with Chinese readers, sparking emotional r…

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When Weight Becomes Morality

When Weight Becomes Morality

How body surveillance shapes women's lives in contemporary China

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Articles

China’s Male Matchmakers and the End of ‘Marrying Up’

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By Lina Ma
| Tribune Content Agency
In early 2024, a grandmotherly figure known as “Wang Po”（王婆）became a national sensation in China for her folksy matchmaking performances in Kaifeng. Less than two years later, the country’s online matchmaking scene has undergone an unexpected gender reversal. A new generation of male matchmaking influencers, including Aoye（鳌烨）, Wukong（悟空）, Dachao（大超）, and Tianshu（天书）, has taken over the spotlight. These men have little in common with the traditional image of the matchmaker.
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نظرة داخل مجتمعات الصين السرية لاضطرابات الأكل

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By Lina Ma
| Global Voices Verified
وجبة منخفضة السعرات الحرارية مُشاركة داخل شبكات “إيد” (ED) على منصة شياو هونغ شو. لقطة شاشة مُعدلة. استخدام عادل. لم تعد اضطرابات الأكل تُناقش فقط بوصفها مشاكل صحية على منصات التواصل الصينية؛ يُعاد تعريفها الآن كونها أسلوب حياة، وأنها أهداف ذات طابع جمالي، وحتى أنها مصدر للشعور بالانتماء. صادفت هذه المجتمعات لأول مرة عن طريق الصدفة، تقريبًا. لأنني نشأت في بيئة كان وزن الجسم فيها خاضعًا باستمرار للمراقبة ومحلًا للنقاش؛ كان الضغط المتعلق بالنحافة مألوفًا بالنسبة لي.
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China’s Male Matchmakers and the End of ‘Marrying Up’ Original

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By Lina Ma
| The Diplomat Magazine Verified
A new wave of matchmaking influencers explicitly treats marriage as a business transaction – and they brutally judge clients’ prospects accordingly. Screenshots of online matchmakers (from left) Tianshu, Aoye, and Dachao. Credit: YouTube Screenshots Subscribe for ads-free reading In early 2024, a grandmotherly figure known as “Wang Po”（王婆）became a national sensation in China for her folksy matchmaking performances in Kaifeng.
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