Everyone has heard of love at first sight, blind dates, dating agencies, speed dating, online dating and arranged marriage. In Shanghai finding a match is done a little differently.
Chinese society is no stranger to arranged marriage. In the feudal system in China arranged marriages were common to secure the comfort and social standing of both families. Despite the fact that it is now considered normal for people to chose a partner themselves some of the old traditions remain, such as checking the birth dates with a fortune teller as the Chinese Zodiac is still considered important by many people. What is a little more unusual is the way in which some people are trying to find a soul mate.
I had heard rumour of the "Marriage Market" in People's Square in Shanghai at the weekends and decided I would at least check out this spectacle once. The idea is that individuals and agencies set up their stall or in most cases umbrella with a sign giving the details of the singleton in question. Qualifications, Date of Birth, current employment, height, smoker/non smoker and sometimes an image is included. Some people have been known to go themselves and try to find a match but the area is dominated by parents desperately seeking a husband or wife for their child. I'm not sure how the average westerner would react to their parents sitting in a public park with an umbrella on the ground that has an A4 with all their personal details attached and returning home with information of prospective suitors.
I'm not sure what the reaction would be if an expat turned up to look for a match.
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