| Sumario: | This book examines the intertwined crises of marriage, masculinity, and social mobility among rural-origin single men in Xi'an, China, focusing on their navigation of class differences and cultural expectations in the urban marriage market. It highlights how economic, social, and political transformations have commodified marriage, raising material and cultural demands—such as owning a house and car—and emphasizing romantic love, which together shape dating practices and exacerbate rural men’s marginalization. The study contrasts migrant delivery workers with white-collar professionals of rural origin, revealing persistent rural-urban divides and stereotypes, including the figure of the "Phoenix man" (fenghuangnan 凤凰男), a rural man with higher education still stigmatized in urban middle-class contexts. The book also explores how these men recraft hybrid masculinities combining rural and urban traits to improve their marriage prospects, while addressing issues of distrust in dating and the state’s role in framing a "marriage crisis." This ethnographic work contributes to understanding how class, gender, and precarity influence contemporary Chinese marriage markets.
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