In China, parents are taking charge of finding partners for their unmarried adult children in response to a marriage crisis and declining birth rates. This unique approach involves real-life dating gatherings akin to traditional dating apps.
Every weekend, eager grandparents seeking grandchildren convene at a hilltop park in a southwestern Chinese city for what is known as “xiangqin jiao,” or a marriage market. These gatherings feature retirees presenting paper résumés detailing the essential information about their single offspring.
The résumés typically include gender, age, height, and occupation, with some even mentioning weight and income. Specific requirements, such as no bad habits, height, weight, and age limits, are specified in these profiles, along with financial details like monthly salary and assets owned.
The historical context of China’s one-child policy, introduced in 1979 and repealed in 2015, has led to a gender imbalance where men outnumber women. This has influenced the current challenges in finding suitable partners as women often have better educational and economic opportunities.
To address the declining birth rates, the government now offers child care subsidies to encourage more births, as the number of registered marriages remains low in comparison to the country’s population.
Individuals like Zhang Jing, a 34-year-old sales professional, attend these markets themselves in search of compatible partners due to challenges like financial stability and homeownership among potential suitors. Similarly, men like Huang Weiming, a 36-year-old marketer, share their profiles with specific requirements and aspirations for a compatible match.
While these markets have been around since the early 2000s and have spread to various cities, success stories are limited. Despite this, people continue to participate in the hope of finding suitable partners, viewing these gatherings as social spaces for retirees to interact and discuss the current dating landscape.