Many young Chinese men are getting dating coaches. (Photo : Getty Images)
There is a rising trend among young Chinese men and getting coached by dating gurus to build up their self-confidence to date.
One of these men is Frank Wang, a pseudonym, from Shanghai. He went to Kane Vast, an Australian dating coach and been under his wing for three years.
The learning process was extremely challenging. I had to step out of my comfort zone and do things I would have never done before. For example, I had to lie on the floor in a mall or give coins to strangers to build courage. However, it paid off," said Wang.
Wang is now in a relationship and plans to marry her soon.
The Chinese term for these kinds of men is "otaku." They are men who prefer to stay at home and manifests anti-social behavior.
Although financially stable, people like Wang lack in self-confidence. They have to seek advice from dating coaches to build on themselves, and then take on the challenge of meeting women.
Kane Vast started giving advice to his foreign friends in 2011 and then branched out to giving lessons to Chinese men.
"It was quite funny how it started," said Vast. "He (Wang) became my first Chinese student, and while I was out coaching him I met many other Chinese men who also became my students."
When asked about Wang's first attempt, he said, "I was so nervous that I forgot what I wanted to say, and only got out, 'Hi, I'm Frank, nice to meet you. I think you are very lovely.' But she was not interested and walked away."
Vast's understanding of the female psyche is not the only motivation for his lessons. He also believes that Chinese men are good at dating.
"People think that Chinese men are not good at picking up girls or dating, but I do not believe that. I think they lack certain social skills because they are spending most of their time on work and schooling," said Vast.
"But things in China's dating scene have begun to change dramatically over the last decade," Vast added. "Dating has evolved from blind dates and being introduced to potential partners by friends and family, to learning skills from dating coaches and finding people to date online or at social events."
