It was the most expensive matchmaking party ever held in Beijing. There were 21 single billionaires, 22 single women and an admission fee of 100,000 yuan.

Love has a price. But this much? That is the central question of a heated debate taking place among Chinese netizens on whether these moneyed romantics have gone too far.

The party took place on Sunday night in Beijing Jun Wang Fu, a luxury hotel near Chaoyang Park known for its Qing Dynasty-style decor.

The 22 single women were selected in several ways. Some were registered members of a matchmaking website called Golden Bachelor, which organized the party.

Others won a beauty pageant sponsored by Golden Bachelor. The remainder were scouted by Golden Bachelor employees, known as "love hunters," from Chinese cities.

For the last two categories, tickets were free.

"Every girl has the right to pursue happiness," said a 22-year-old surnamed Dai who is studying at an arts university in Nanjing. "I just want to avoid the problems I may be forced to face before falling in love."

"I came to this party in Beijing for free," she said. "I do feel precious about this chance to meet many successful and mature men."

A bachelor surnamed Zhang said the 100,000 yuan price tag is worth it, if it leads to true love. The 40-year-old graduate from a university in the United Kingdom owns a financial software firm in Shanghai.

"When we are branded as billionaires or powerful men, we are forced to stay in very high societal positions, which makes it difficult to find true love," Zhang told the Beijing Morning Post.

Golden Bachelor promised free membership for a year if the Chinese singletons failed to find love at the party.

"It's not the first time we organized such a high-end matchmaking party, but it is the first time we have held such a party in Beijing," said Xiao Pu, market director of the Shanghai-based Golden Bachelor.

Half of the 21 bachelors who attended the party were from Beijing while others came from different provinces, including Guangdong, said Xiao.

She estimates 80 percent of those who attended the matchmaking party found a date. The youngest bachelor was 26 and the oldest 46, said Xiao.

Most work in financial investment fields and drive luxury cars, like a Ferrari or a Porsche, she said.

A number of the single women graduated from art school, according to Xiao.

"Most young ladies are very concerned about the party," said Xiao. "Some of them arrived at the hotel one day in advance and hired cosmeticians to do makeup for them."

Aside from trying to lure in men with their beauty, the bachelorettes also tried to capture lonely men's hearts in a Golden Bachelor talent showcase. Some sang. Others danced. A few cooked Chinese food.

And then there was the so-called "wedding dress show". All 22 of the women decked themselves out in big white gowns and then paraded in front of the bachelors.

Those who were not invited, say they are disgusted by the party.

"The girls are materialistic," said Guan Mengyun, a 30-year-old bachelor living in Beijing. "Marriage should not be determined by money."

More than a thousand comments have been posted on Chinese web portal Sohu.com. The majority are critical.

"Such marriage can't last for a lifetime," said a netizen identified as "ZG-BDSMSO". "If the man goes bankrupt one day, the woman will probably leave him."

(Chinadaily.com.cn December 16, 2009)