Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

The property markets in Jeju Island, South Korea, and San Francisco, USA, have been booming thanks to a large number of dama travelling all the way from China. They are so rich that once they make the decision to buy, they pay in cash.

Dama, which literally means "big mother," is an Internet term coined in April to describe women from 40 to 60 years old in China who bought gold to speculate on the international market. The huge purchasing power of dama gave a substantial shock to Wall Street.

This group of people is still in the spotlight, although much of the coverage is adopting a derogatory tone. Dama are portrayed as a group of senile, crazy people who love to follow the crowd but lack judgment or an investment background. These biased reports will lead to misunderstanding and prejudice.

Dama have spent about one-third of their lifetime working hard and being thrifty. Now, they have accumulated a certain amount of wealth, either from committed saving or rich husbands. Their children have already got married or been to college. Either way, their children can or almost can support themselves.

It's time for dama to spend money and enjoy life. They start to travel, wearing their interpretation of mix-and-match clothing styles, carrying the latest edition of a Sony NEX camera (blind to most of its functions) and posting their selfies on WeChat.

On a regular day, they go dancing in parks and spend the afternoon going to karaoke or playing mahjong; at night, they work out to look after their blood pressure. They keep a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Here's a mind-blowing remark from a dama, the mother of a friend: "If a man is not willing to take you to a 5-star hotel for a roll in the sheets, you'd better give him up." She has a boyfriend, nicknamed uncle, who visits three times a day and cooks for her, according to her daughter.

My point is quite simple. Please leave those dama alone. They have the right to choose their own life. Yes, most of them have no sense of fashion; most of them don't handle the process of aging very well; most of them talk loudly in the public. Come on; don't expect them to grow old gracefully like the French.

They have sacrificed the prime of their lives raising us while their counterparts in France were busy attending fashion shows and flirting with their lovers. Their youth is long gone; they used to bear the burden of supporting the family and taking care of the household.

So, give dama a break. It's time for them to try different things, see the world with their own eyes and find their true love.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.