A recent online post about men who are afraid of their wives has stirred up a hot debate among netizens.

The authors say the cities with the highest number of henpecked husbands are Shanghai, Chengdu in Sichuan province, Wuhan in Hubei province, and Chaozhou in Guangdong province.

According to the post, Shanghai men love their wives more than themselves — making Shanghai women the most envied in the country.

Chengdu men are not only bread-winners but also cook and clean and are good fathers.

China has a long history of henpecked husbands, even though it is a patriarchal society. Some emperors were afraid of their wives, such as Emperor Yang Jian, founder of Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618).

"It's not 'henpecked', but showing respect for women," said 26-year-old Chen from Shanghai, who gives only his surname and was married last May.

Shanghai men are well known for being good husband, said the post. They are good-tempered, gentle and family-oriented and like to spoil their wives.

Many do the housework or cook for their wives, who often hold the purse strings in the family.

"It's important to be a good listener and communicate with each other in marriage," said Chen. "If there are quarrels, the husband should compromise first and the wife should give him a way out."

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