When a town loves a woman

Some might argue it's an idea long overdue. A town in China— a country where, at this point, no idea is too out there— has plans to become the world's first “women's town,” according to a recent dispatch from Reuters.

According to town officials, disobedient male tourists visiting the town would get “punished” for their transgressions, with offenders washing dishes at local restaurants or kneeling on an uneven board.

Officials in the town of Longshuihu, a 2.3-square-kilometer village in the Chongqing municipality, say the concept stems from local tradition, which says “women rule and men obey.” Of course, that thinking is not necessarily confined to a village in Western China.

“Traditional women dominate and men have to be obedient in the areas of Sichuan province and Chongqing,” a tourism official told Reuters. “And now we are using it as an idea to attract tourists and boost tourism.”

With domestic business and leisure travel increasing alongside disposable income, the tourism industry is slowly picking up in second-tier cities. The tourism bureau in Longshuihu said it plans to put $26 million (€20 million) into its infrastructure in the next three to five years.

The town's motto reportedly translates to: “Women never make mistakes and men can never refuse women's requests.” For those planning to visit, expect females to play dominant roles in everything from shopping to choosing a hotel. It's a concept that might sound strangely familiar to some Westerners.

But it's not all just tourism talk. Across China, an increase in wealth is bringing with it female empowerment and advancement. In nearby Chengdu, for example, an all-female detective agency was recently established. Not only do the detectives, who all wear dark sunglasses while on the job, work to stop spousal abuse and resolve property disputes, they also try to catch errant husbands.