This article explores the ways that second-generation Chinese American youths (from both mainland and Taiwan origins) construct their dating attitudes and behaviors. Based on an analysis of 20 in-depth interviews, this study finds that respondents use both Chinese and American lenses to construct their dating attitudes and behaviors. Chinese and American dating are constructed as oppositional among the respondents. When discussing parents' roles, commitment, premarital sex, and gender expectations, second-generation Chinese American youths pick and choose from their constructions of Chinese and American dating cultures. In so doing, they cope with discomfort and attempt to present a “positive” image of themselves in front of both Chinese and American dating cultures, thereby inventing a “positive” culture of dating.
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