Thousands of single men and women attended a public matchmaking event held in Shanghai Expo Park on Dec. 20, Saturday. More than 13,000 participants registered for the event, which lasted through the weekend.
In a country that holds strong traditional values on love, courtship and marriage, the matchmaking event highlighted the distress and sentiments of China's still unattached men and women. The mass matchmaking did, however, attract men and women of all ages, the lovesick and the bereft, and the single and the shy. All came with hopes of finding a suitable partner.
Among the activities during the event were speed dating, which allowed participants to choose their potential partners and engage in small talk. Some of the daters engaged in multiple small talks without success. This led to some participants to lowering their standards in finding partners.
A participant admitted that he came back repeatedly after being rejected by several potential partners. After two hours, he became so desperate and rude, and had to be "removed" by the organizers.
The expelled participant further shared that practical considerations have to be made, depending on one's age, profession and even personal looks and appeal.
Special sessions were held for overseas workers, professionals, IT workers, nurses and teachers. However, the female participants outnumbered the male, thus creating an imbalance and making some participants go home without partners.
Some parents supported their sons' and daughters' plight by hanging poster-sized pictures of their children at the event and calling the attention of potential partners, extolling the virtues of their children. Even passersby were not spared the pitch.
Special booths catering to the needs of those who required psychological counseling were also set up. These booths were packed with people overstressed with marriage issues.
The Shanghai Huada Institute of Applied Psychology's deputy director Lyu Hui said: "No matter if you are 20, 30 or 40 years old, you have to be sure what you really want. If you are getting married just to make your parents happy, you yourself would probably not end up happy."