Looking for a Companion: Parents Display Their Children’s Information on a Wash-line in Quest for a Life Partner
By Rebecca Seales
Published: 20:07 BST, 16 November 2012, Updated: 20:07 BST, 16 November 2012
In an effort to marry off their single children, parents in China have taken an unusual approach by hanging out details about them on a wash-line in People’s Park, Shanghai. This bizarre dating ritual seeks to find eligible life partners for grown-up sons and daughters.
The advertisements contain information such as age, height, education, profession, and income of the children. Some parents have gone so far as to create laminated adverts attached to small packages, finding it difficult to condense their child’s qualities onto just one sheet of paper.
The desired qualities for a prospective groom include responsibility, a stable income, ownership of an apartment and a car. On the other hand, women are expected to be kind, have a stable job, and preferably possess a bachelor’s degree.
Parents eagerly scan these dating advertisements and engage in conversations with other parents, hoping to find a suitable match for their child. They gather at People’s Park on weekends to survey the city’s singletons and discuss potential matches with other participating parents.
Ma Jianhua, a 55-year-old parent looking for a wife for his son, shared his experience, saying, “I first came here six months ago after reading about the park’s matchmaking activities in the newspaper. Since then, I have been coming here almost every weekend. On days that I can’t make it, my wife steps in for me. My son is too busy to date girls, so I am here on his behalf. Although my son and I have different tastes, I can at least narrow down some of the girls who meet his requirements by speaking to the girl’s parents. After all, a woman’s manner and character are often influenced by their parents.”
Despite the lack of luck he has had so far, Ma remains determined. He believes in the efficacy of matchmaking and the park’s potential to bring compatible individuals together. He added, “Some of the parents I used to see are no longer here. I think they must have found someone. Nowhere else in the city can you find so many candidates.”
Certainly, the number of eligible singles in the park provides these parents with a wide pool of potential matches, and they are eager to take advantage of this opportunity.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
