A table of potential Chinese husbands at a dating event in Shanghai. (Photo : Reuters)
It was only a matter of time before the first post-Spring Festival dating-related article appeared in the Chinese media, and in the Year of the Sheep, Chinanews is responsible for launching the first report from the nation's singles scene.
As was pre-empted in a savvy pre-Chinese New Year editorial that shared tips on how to fend off eager parents, who wait with anticipatory breaths for their son or daughter's wedding invitation, the east Asian nation's 20-somethings returned home to partnership-fixated family atmospheres.
For Juan, a 24-year-old postgraduate student in Shanghai, she was happy to arrange three blind dates for the Spring Festival holiday that awaited her upon her arrival in her rural hometown.
However, for another young female student, Xiao Lu, four blind dates were organized by her parents without her knowledge. The 26-year-old was so upset by the Spring Festival experience, undertaken at her family home in the Chongqing municipality, that she complained on the WeChat app. It appears that Xiao's parents have crossed a line, as their daughter is fed up with the pressure they continue to exert and has vowed to stay away from home if she is still single next year.
The dating process is not straightforward for China's single females and Juan told a reporter that, in her hometown, "it is hard for single women turning 25 to find a boyfriend," because of the "traditional mindsets" that remain prominent.
However, a survey completed by Chinanews shows that many members of China's post-1990s generation still prefer traditional blind dating over the services offered by websites, TV shows and agencies.
A netizen wrote in response that "it is difficult to put faith in these online platforms" due to the lack of success experienced by friends.
In terms of college students, the results of one poll said that around 50 percent of respondents will attend blind dates upon reaching the legal age.
The China University Media Union also found out that only 17.67 percent of participants expressed distrust in the blind dating method.
