China Parents Advertise for Single Sons and Daughters in Shanghai Park
Daily Mail The Great Wall of... Lonely Hearts ads:
Weekly marriage market in China sees parents post notices advertising their single sons and daughters (including how much they earn)
Mothers and fathers descend on Shanghai park every week in the hope of finding perfect a match for their children
Parents hang flyers on walls, washing lines and the trees often without the knowledge of their sons and daughters
They reveal vital statistics of their offspring, including income, education, zodiac sign and whether they own a car
By SIMON TOMLINSON
PUBLISHED: 06:36 EST, 17 May 2014 | UPDATED: 05:42 EST, 19 May 2014
It could be a missing persons wall set up after a natural disaster or even some kind of art installation.
But these rows upon rows of flyers are actually part of a marriage market where Chinese parents come to find prospective husbands and wives for their children.
Every Saturday and Sunday between noon and 5pm, regardless of the weather, the People's Park in Shanghai is crowded with mothers and fathers studying the Lonely Hearts messages that adorn the grounds.
On the walls of the avenues, on trees and on washing lines, hundreds of resumes are hung by parents often without the knowledge of their children.
Traditionally, parents arranged their children's marriages.
The first step is to establish contact between the parents on both sides and if the parents agree to contact, then they will allow their children to go further.
Many young people find the idea embarrassing, but for their parents it is the last resort and the only way to uphold a traditional dating style for their children in modern China.
Marriage patterns have changed over the years in China.
... Shanghai marriage market is just one of several such open-sky marriage markets in China and despite the thousands of parents that visit the market over a weekend, success rate remains low.
Many parents reportedly have to return, month after month, year after year.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2631200/Weekly-marriage-market-China-sees-parents-post-notices-advertising-single-sons-daughters-including-earn.html#ixzz46UNCZqQl
Glut of women at Shanghai's marriage market By Katie Hunt, CNN
Updated 8:57 PM ET, Sun November 3, 2013
Posters list a man or woman's height, age, income, education and their hukou - registered hometown.
6 photos:
Lots of listings – Posters list a man or woman's height, age, income, education and their hukou - registered hometown.
Hide Caption
4 of 6
With young Chinese told from a young age to put education and work before finding love, many struggle to find boyfriends or girlfriends.
6 photos:
Concerned parents – With young Chinese told from a young age to put education and work before finding love, many struggle to find boyfriends or girlfriends.
Hide Caption
5 of 6
The market has a special place for parents whose children are working overseas.
6 photos:
Overseas corner – The market has a special place for parents whose children are working overseas.
Hide Caption
6 of 6
Liu Jianle is a veteran of the Shanghai marriage market. He has already found a wife for his son. Now, he's looking for a match for his niece.
6 photos:
Old hand – Liu Jianle is a veteran of the Shanghai marriage market. He has already found a wife for his son. Now, he's looking for a match for his niece.
Hide Caption
1 of 6
The marriage market takes place in a shaded park in the center of Shanghai.
6 photos:
Al fresco matchmaking – The marriage market takes place in a shaded park in the center of Shanghai.
Hide Caption
2 of 6
Professional matchmaker Fan Dongfang holds up wedding invitations from couples he successfully paired.
6 photos:
The professional – Professional matchmaker Fan Dongfang holds up wedding invitations from couples he successfully paired.
Hide Caption
3 of 6
Posters list a man or woman's height, age, income, education and their hukou - registered hometown.
6 photos:
Lots of listings – Posters list a man or woman's height, age, income, education and their hukou - registered hometown.
Hide Caption
4 of 6
With young Chinese told from a young age to put education and work before finding love, many struggle to find boyfriends or girlfriends.
6 photos:
Concerned parents – With young Chinese told from a young age to put education and work before finding love, many struggle to find boyfriends or girlfriends.
Hide Caption
5 of 6
The market has a special place for parents whose children are working overseas.
6 photos:
Overseas corner – The market has a special place for parents whose children are working overseas.
Hide Caption
6 of 6
Liu Jianle is a veteran of the Shanghai marriage market. He has already found a wife for his son. Now, he's looking for a match for his niece.
6 photos:
Old hand – Liu Jianle is a veteran of the Shanghai marriage market. He has already found a wife for his son. Now, he's looking for a match for his niece.
Hide Caption
1 of 6
The marriage market takes place in a shaded park in the center of Shanghai.
6 photos:
Al fresco matchmaking – The marriage market takes place in a shaded park in the center of Shanghai.
Hide Caption
2 of 6
Professional matchmaker Fan Dongfang holds up wedding invitations from couples he successfully paired.
6 photos:
The professional – Professional matchmaker Fan Dongfang holds up wedding invitations from couples he successfully paired.
Hide Caption
3 of 6
Shanghai marriage liuShanghai marriage treesShanghai marriage fanShanghai marriage womenShanghai marriage tableShanghai marriage corner
Story highlights
Each weekend, parents gather in Shanghai park to find partners for their children
Posters list their offspring's vital statistics -- height, age, weight, occupation and income
Odds for a successful match, at least for parents with daughters, do not look good
Liu Jianle smiles as he spots a potential suitor for his recently divorced niece among a sea of white personal ads pegged to a board.
Pencil in hand, he jots down the man's details -- 33 years old, 1.7 meters tall (5 feet 7 inches), 140 pounds, a property owner, divorced but no kids.
The only wrinkle is that his salary is $800 a month, not high by Shanghai standards. No matter, says Liu, his niece has a good job.
Welcome to Shanghai's marriage market.
Each weekend, mothers, fathers and, in Liu's case, concerned uncles, come to a sun-dappled corner of Shanghai's People's Park to find Mister or Miss Right for their children.
Matchmaking: Chinese style
Matchmaking: Chinese style 03:36
Some write posters by hand listing their offsprings' vital statistics -- height, age, income, education and their hukou or registered hometown -- and pin them to umbrellas or shopping bags. Others come with a notebook to see what is available.
Liu is a veteran. He found his son a wife here and they've been married for more than a year.
"She's 1.69 meters tall (5 feet 6 inches) and beautiful like a movie star," he says. "He was happy to get the introduction."
With young Chinese told to put education and work before finding love, many struggle to find boyfriends or girlfriends, a source of deep concern for their parents in a society which emphasizes the survival of the family line.
Worried family members are joined by professional matchmakers, who try to make a living from the unusual gathering.
The city even organizes an "annual love and marriage expo" to help young people find love that attracts 18,000.
"A lot of kids who were born after 1980, they don't have siblings. So they grow up in an environment where you don't have the experience to meet with people of the opposite sex," Song Li, the founder of an online dating service, told CNN at the event in May.
READ: China plays the dating game
The market has been around since 2004, says Li, who runs a professional matchmaking service from the park. With almost three times as many women looking for partners than men, it can be difficult to make a successful match.
Men can register for free, while she charges a fee of $500 for her female clients.
She also has an age limit; men born after 1970 can sign up, but women must be under 33.
"There's a shortage of superior men," she says by way of explanation.
READ: China's 'leftover women' choose to stay single
It's a similar story at Fan Dongfang's booth. He says he matches 20 to 30 people a year and brandishes a clutch of wedding invitations as if to prove it. He also has a glut of women on his books.
"There are too many leftover women in Shanghai," he says, using a popular term to describe an educated, single, urban women over the age of 27.
"Their standards are too high."
Shanghai marriage market - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_marriage_market
References[edit]
Ryssdal, Kai (June 6, 2011). "Day Eight: A visit to Shanghai's marriage market". American Public Media. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
"In China today, there are 20 million men who cannot find a bride". Colors Magazine. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
"In pictures: China spouse market". BBC News. May 26, 2009. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
Deng, Kajia (April 27, 2013). "NZ women put hopes in Chinese dating show". 3news.co.nz. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
Hill, Andrew (April 26, 2013). "The Diary: Andrew Hill". Financial Times. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
External links[edit]
External video
"Shanghai's "Marriage Market" at People's Park"
Media related to Shanghai marriage market at Wikimedia Commons
Categories:
2004 establishments in China
Arranged marriage
Culture in Shanghai
Events in Shanghai
Marriage in Chinese culture
Matchmaking
Saturday events
Sexuality in China
Sunday events
In a Changing China, New Matchmaking Markets
www.nytimes.com/.../03/...china-new-matchmaking-markets.html
Informal “marriage markets,” where parents try to find ... “My aim is just to find a match ... this seemed like a suitable match in the Chinese ...
Shanghai's marriage market: Bridal bliss or...
travel.cnn.com
› Asia Pacific
› China
› Shanghai
At the marriage market, parents, ... dates and potential matches for their kids. ... clearly has a major impact on the Chinese marriage market,” explains ...
Daily Mail The Great Wall of... Lonely Hearts ads:
Weekly marriage market in China sees parents post notices advertising their single sons and daughters (including how much they earn)
Mothers and fathers descend on Shanghai park every week in the hope of finding perfect a match for their children
Parents hang flyers on walls, washing lines and the trees often without the knowledge of their sons and daughters
They reveal vital statistics of their offspring, including income, education, zodiac sign and whether they own a car
By SIMON TOMLINSON
PUBLISHED: 06:36 EST, 17 May 2014 | UPDATED: 05:42 EST, 19 May 2014
It could be a missing persons wall set up after a natural disaster or even some kind of art installation.
But these rows upon rows of flyers are actually part of a marriage market where Chinese parents come to find prospective husbands and wives for their children.
Every Saturday and Sunday between noon and 5pm, regardless of the weather, the People's Park in Shanghai is crowded with mothers and fathers studying the Lonely Hearts messages that adorn the grounds.
On the walls of the avenues, on trees and on washing lines, hundreds of resumes are hung by parents often without the knowledge of their children.
Traditionally, parents arranged their children's marriages.
The first step is to establish contact between the parents on both sides and if the parents agree to contact, then they will allow their children to go further.
Many young people find the idea embarrassing, but for their parents it is the last resort and the only way to uphold a traditional dating style for their children in modern China.
Marriage patterns have changed over the years in China.
... Shanghai marriage market is just one of several such open-sky marriage markets in China and despite the thousands of parents that visit the market over a weekend, success rate remains low.
Many parents reportedly have to return, month after month, year after year.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2631200/Weekly-marriage-market-China-sees-parents-post-notices-advertising-single-sons-daughters-including-earn.html#ixzz46UNCZqQl
Glut of women at Shanghai's marriage market By Katie Hunt, CNN
Updated 8:57 PM ET, Sun November 3, 2013
Posters list a man or woman's height, age, income, education and their hukou - registered hometown.
6 photos:
Lots of listings – Posters list a man or woman's height, age, income, education and their hukou - registered hometown.
Hide Caption
4 of 6
With young Chinese told from a young age to put education and work before finding love, many struggle to find boyfriends or girlfriends.
6 photos:
Concerned parents – With young Chinese told from a young age to put education and work before finding love, many struggle to find boyfriends or girlfriends.
Hide Caption
5 of 6
The market has a special place for parents whose children are working overseas.
6 photos:
Overseas corner – The market has a special place for parents whose children are working overseas.
Hide Caption
6 of 6
Liu Jianle is a veteran of the Shanghai marriage market. He has already found a wife for his son. Now, he's looking for a match for his niece.
6 photos:
Old hand – Liu Jianle is a veteran of the Shanghai marriage market. He has already found a wife for his son. Now, he's looking for a match for his niece.
Hide Caption
1 of 6
The marriage market takes place in a shaded park in the center of Shanghai.
6 photos:
Al fresco matchmaking – The marriage market takes place in a shaded park in the center of Shanghai.
Hide Caption
2 of 6
Professional matchmaker Fan Dongfang holds up wedding invitations from couples he successfully paired.
6 photos:
The professional – Professional matchmaker Fan Dongfang holds up wedding invitations from couples he successfully paired.
Hide Caption
3 of 6
Posters list a man or woman's height, age, income, education and their hukou - registered hometown.
6 photos:
Lots of listings – Posters list a man or woman's height, age, income, education and their hukou - registered hometown.
Hide Caption
4 of 6
With young Chinese told from a young age to put education and work before finding love, many struggle to find boyfriends or girlfriends.
6 photos:
Concerned parents – With young Chinese told from a young age to put education and work before finding love, many struggle to find boyfriends or girlfriends.
Hide Caption
5 of 6
The market has a special place for parents whose children are working overseas.
6 photos:
Overseas corner – The market has a special place for parents whose children are working overseas.
Hide Caption
6 of 6
Liu Jianle is a veteran of the Shanghai marriage market. He has already found a wife for his son. Now, he's looking for a match for his niece.
6 photos:
Old hand – Liu Jianle is a veteran of the Shanghai marriage market. He has already found a wife for his son. Now, he's looking for a match for his niece.
Hide Caption
1 of 6
The marriage market takes place in a shaded park in the center of Shanghai.
6 photos:
Al fresco matchmaking – The marriage market takes place in a shaded park in the center of Shanghai.
Hide Caption
2 of 6
Professional matchmaker Fan Dongfang holds up wedding invitations from couples he successfully paired.
6 photos:
The professional – Professional matchmaker Fan Dongfang holds up wedding invitations from couples he successfully paired.
Hide Caption
3 of 6
Shanghai marriage liuShanghai marriage treesShanghai marriage fanShanghai marriage womenShanghai marriage tableShanghai marriage corner
Story highlights
Each weekend, parents gather in Shanghai park to find partners for their children
Posters list their offspring's vital statistics -- height, age, weight, occupation and income
Odds for a successful match, at least for parents with daughters, do not look good
Liu Jianle smiles as he spots a potential suitor for his recently divorced niece among a sea of white personal ads pegged to a board.
Pencil in hand, he jots down the man's details -- 33 years old, 1.7 meters tall (5 feet 7 inches), 140 pounds, a property owner, divorced but no kids.
The only wrinkle is that his salary is $800 a month, not high by Shanghai standards. No matter, says Liu, his niece has a good job.
Welcome to Shanghai's marriage market.
Each weekend, mothers, fathers and, in Liu's case, concerned uncles, come to a sun-dappled corner of Shanghai's People's Park to find Mister or Miss Right for their children.
Matchmaking: Chinese style
Matchmaking: Chinese style 03:36
Some write posters by hand listing their offsprings' vital statistics -- height, age, income, education and their hukou or registered hometown -- and pin them to umbrellas or shopping bags. Others come with a notebook to see what is available.
Liu is a veteran. He found his son a wife here and they've been married for more than a year.
"She's 1.69 meters tall (5 feet 6 inches) and beautiful like a movie star," he says. "He was happy to get the introduction."
With young Chinese told to put education and work before finding love, many struggle to find boyfriends or girlfriends, a source of deep concern for their parents in a society which emphasizes the survival of the family line.
Worried family members are joined by professional matchmakers, who try to make a living from the unusual gathering.
The city even organizes an "annual love and marriage expo" to help young people find love that attracts 18,000.
"A lot of kids who were born after 1980, they don't have siblings. So they grow up in an environment where you don't have the experience to meet with people of the opposite sex," Song Li, the founder of an online dating service, told CNN at the event in May.
READ: China plays the dating game
The market has been around since 2004, says Li, who runs a professional matchmaking service from the park. With almost three times as many women looking for partners than men, it can be difficult to make a successful match.
Men can register for free, while she charges a fee of $500 for her female clients.
She also has an age limit; men born after 1970 can sign up, but women must be under 33.
"There's a shortage of superior men," she says by way of explanation.
READ: China's 'leftover women' choose to stay single
It's a similar story at Fan Dongfang's booth. He says he matches 20 to 30 people a year and brandishes a clutch of wedding invitations as if to prove it. He also has a glut of women on his books.
"There are too many leftover women in Shanghai," he says, using a popular term to describe an educated, single, urban women over the age of 27.
"Their standards are too high."
Shanghai marriage market - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_marriage_market
The Shanghai Marriage Market (Chinese: 人民公园相亲角; pinyin: rénmín Gōngyuán xiāngqīn jiǎo; literally: "People's Park blind date corner") is a marriage market held at People's Park in Shanghai, China. Parents of unmarried adults flock to[1] the park every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. to trade information on their children.[2]
Contents
[hide]Overview[edit]
The primary goal of attending the Shanghai marriage market is for parents to find a suitable partner for their child. The standards of finding the right match may be based upon (but not limited to) age,[1] height,[1] job,[1]income, education, family values, Chinese zodiac sign,[1] and personality. All of this information is written on a piece of paper, which is then hung upon long strings among other parents' advertisements for their children.[1]The parents walk around chatting with other parents to see if there is a harmonious fit only after their children's standards are met.
Many parents do not have permission from their child to go to this event.[citation needed] It has been described as "match.com meets farmers' market" with a low success rate.[3] In many parents' eyes, parent matchmaking gatherings such as the Shanghai Marriage Market are the only way to uphold a traditional dating style for their children in modern China. China's long idealized tradition of continuing their family lineage is very important within Chinese culture.[2] As the children of the One Child Policystart to become of typical marriage age, the so-called marriage "market" of China has wavered in stability, particularly for males in China. The University of Kent predicts that by the year 2020, 24 million men will be unmarried and unable to find a wife.[3]
The marriage market at People's Square has existed since 2004.[1] As of April, 2013, it costs approximately $3.20 USD for an advertisement that is displayed for five months, and marriage brokers provide full access to phone numbers for a $16.00 registration fee.[1]
Changes in marriage patterns[edit]
Recently, well-educated women in China with established careers are in less of a hurry to get married.[4] They have more options than women in past generations and are not afraid to put their career first.[5] This change in marriage ideology puts the women in a higher position of power within a traditionally male-dominated society. Now more women seek to find a responsible man with personal integrity instead of just a high paying job.[5]
Many men's standards have changed with the progression of women's status in the work industry as well, they expect a woman that has been educated and well on her way to a career path. But what has drastically changed is the older generations viewpoint on the subject—they agree with the younger generation, with the two most important qualities in a wife being "elegance and a decent career path," quite a change from "diligence and the willingness to suffer the burden of life".[6]
A sociologist from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill expects China's gender gap to widen by the year 2020, with 24 million more men than women.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h Tacon, Dave (April 6, 2013). "Finding a spouse in a Chinese marriage market". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Bolsover, Gillian. "What's it like inside Shanghai's 'Marriage Market'?". CNN Travel. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Warner, David (11 February 2010). "Shanghai's marriage market: Bridal bliss or marital mayhem?". CNN Travel. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- Jump up^ The decline of Asian marriage: Asia's lonely hearts, The Economist.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Mullen, Mark (16 October 2007). "On-the-go Chinese women in no hurry to wed". NBC Nightly News. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- Jump up^ Horne, Emily. "Online Dating Sites Come to Life: The Shanghai Marriage Market". Dateline Shanghai. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- Jump up^ China: Gender Imbalance Leads to Low Marriage Rates, Pulitzer Center.
Ryssdal, Kai (June 6, 2011). "Day Eight: A visit to Shanghai's marriage market". American Public Media. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
"In China today, there are 20 million men who cannot find a bride". Colors Magazine. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
"In pictures: China spouse market". BBC News. May 26, 2009. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
Deng, Kajia (April 27, 2013). "NZ women put hopes in Chinese dating show". 3news.co.nz. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
Hill, Andrew (April 26, 2013). "The Diary: Andrew Hill". Financial Times. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
External links[edit]
External video
"Shanghai's "Marriage Market" at People's Park" Media related to Shanghai marriage market at Wikimedia CommonsCategories:
2004 establishments in China
Arranged marriage
Culture in Shanghai
Events in Shanghai
Marriage in Chinese culture
Matchmaking
Saturday events
Sexuality in China
Sunday events
In a Changing China, New Matchmaking Markets
www.nytimes.com/.../03/...china-new-matchmaking-markets.html
Informal “marriage markets,” where parents try to find ... “My aim is just to find a match ... this seemed like a suitable match in the Chinese ...
Shanghai's marriage market: Bridal bliss or...
travel.cnn.com
› Asia Pacific
› China
› Shanghai
At the marriage market, parents, ... dates and potential matches for their kids. ... clearly has a major impact on the Chinese marriage market,” explains ...
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