Parents give dating game a helping hand

Marriages, according to the popular idiom, are made in heaven. But in Shanghai, many parents worried about the single status of their children aren’t waiting for divine intervention.

Parents give dating game a helping hand.[Internet photo]

Armed with photographs and copies of the education certificate of his 26-year-old son, Su Rongguo recently showed up at the “blind date corner” in the city’s Xujiahui area.

“I have talked with several parents, but most of their daughters are older than my son,” said Su, looking slightly disappointed.

His son, studying for a postgraduate degree in Australia, has no inkling what his father is up to. “He probably wouldn’t be too happy if he knew,” Su admitted.

But that doesn’t stop a determined parent. Su has already bought a Shanghai apartment for his son, something generally viewed as a prerequisite of marriage for men in China.

The anxious father said he’s looking for a potential daughter-in-law who is tender, industrious ... and not ugly.

Matchmaking by parents is an old tradition in China, though most modern, young urban singles reject the idea of intermediaries in their love lives.

Candy Cai, a 31-year-old who works for a private advertising company in Shanghai, said she wants to pick her own partner.

“My parents are anxious and put a lot of pressure on me,” she said. “I tell them they don’t need to go to matchmaking events on my behalf. I will only marry someone I like, rather than a man introduced by them.”

“Blind date corner” in Xujiahui appeared in late March, set up by the Shanghai Matchmaking Association for anxious parents and to provide an alternative to the unlicensed matchmaking event in People’s Park.

At first, organizers intended to make their event quarterly, but demand from parents has seen them hold it every month.

The event is limited to 200 participants per time, but more than 2,000 parents have applied. Of those, 1,600 are parents of women, said Zhou Juemin, director of the association.

Admission is 50 yuan (US$8.25), and parents must provide photographs of their children, ID cards, hukou (permanent residence permits), academic qualifications, plus proof that their offspring are indeed single.

With more than 1,500 parents still waiting their turn, the association decided to set up a “parent corner” for 1,000 parents next month in the city’s biggest matchmaking event.