China’s singles market

 Shanghai

‘How old are you, young lady?’ A small, curious crowd starts to surround me. ‘How tall are you? What do you work as?’ The parents camping out in Shanghai’s infamous marriage market have no time for small talk. They come here every weekend, rain or shine, seeking a partner for their grown-up son or daughter. Age, wage, height, education — everyone has a wish list, and they also condense their own child into such a list. Today’s special: me.

The so-called Matchmakers’ Corner has seen tens of thousands of Chinese parents, including members of my own family, come to investigate what (or who) is out there. A great many parents worry about their child’s stubborn singledom. In Britain, parents might fret; perhaps say a prayer or two. Here, in Shanghai’s People’s Park, they make posters and advertise. Then they sit and wait. As I walk up to the camp, I’m struck by how prepared they all are. They sit like fishermen, with collapsible stools and Thermos flasks to keep them going for an eight-hour shift. This is not their first rodeo. Each child is advertised with the aid of a colourful umbrella, lying open on its side and a sheet of A4 containing the all-important dating profile. The first one I read shows the standard template. ‘Only child, female, born June 1986, height 1.69 metres,’ it says. ‘Bachelor’s degree, house-owning, stable job as a doctor, income 10,000 yuan per month, enjoys playing the piano (passed grade eight), an amiable personality, both parents now retired (formerly employed at Sinopec). Seeking a responsible and kind boy who works in Shanghai, holds at least a bachelor’s degree and is taller than 1.75 metres.’ The parents of this 32-year-old woman have obviously started to get worried. But her circumstances are good.