Looking back, "pickup artist" culture in China went through several stages.
Around 2008: The import phase. The earliest form entered China β some socially anxious men wanting to learn how to talk to people. You'd pay a fee, join an "offline class," and someone would take you to a mall to approach women.
Around 2013: From approaching to tactical systems. Full manipulation playbooks emerged, packaged as "Emotional Strategy" and "Psychological Control Techniques." One core technique: push-pull. You chase, I pull away. You chase harder, I give you a little sweetness. Course prices hit tens of thousands of yuan.
2018: The first public explosion. A female student from Beihang University fell to her death. Her messages revealed she'd been systematically isolated and told she was worthless. PUA entered mainstream discussion.
2019: Courses exposed. Undercover media recorded instructors teaching how to identify targets' weaknesses and create dependency.
Post-2020: PUA extended beyond romance into workplaces and friendships. A "PUA Phrase Dictionary" was compiled β phrases like "You call that ability?" and "The real you was the old you."
The show "Dangerous Relations" captured the chilling reality β control through erosion, not violence. By the time you realize where the boundary was, you've forgotten where you originally stood.
Recognize the signals early. And run early.