ETYMOLOGY
The term's evolution mirrors China's shifting masculinity standards. When first used in 1980 to describe actor Guo Kaimin's porcelain complexion in romance film Love on Lushan Mountain, it carried the prestige of a Ralph Lauren model in Americana aesthetics.
The cultural turn came in 1990s when rugged actors like Jiang Wen rose to fame. Tang Guoqiang (a 1980s 'Pretty Boy' icon) revealed in interviews that his delicate looks nearly cost him the role of Zhuge Liang, seeding public perception that 'creaminess' equates to weak acting.
The 2010s K-pop invasion reignited the term's duality:
Fandom circles reclaim it as praise: 'Our idol is the ultimate Creamy Scholar!'Traditionalists weaponize it against 'flower boys', echoing Western debates over Harry Styles' gender-fluid fashionCase in point: When Cai Xukun debuted his androgynous look on Idol Producer, sports forum Hupu users voted him 'Creamy Scholar of the Year' with 200M+ topic views. Meanwhile, the emerging 'Puppy Boy' trend represents millennials' attempt to rebrand delicate masculinity.
Example: 'Must every historical drama cast these Creamy Scholars? Give me a jawline that could cut jade!' (Hupu comment with 50K+ upvotes)