Leftover ladies

Over the last 30 years of China's opening up, people have become more amenable on the issue of marriage. However, some traditional beliefs are still deeply ingrained in the mindset of the last generation. Liu, a frequent visitor to the fairs, is one of these traditional parents. He comes here for his daughter, who is too busy to start a relationship. In his opinion, age 24 to 28 is the best period for pregnancy, and being single after 30 goes against natural law and the traditional expectation of getting married and starting a career by 30.

Liu Chaoqiong, Deputy PR Director of Baihe.com, said, "The traditional Chinese parents see 30 as a dividing line. Young people, especially girls who haven't had a boyfriend by then, will suffer great pressure from parents and even from society."

Among the various blind date fairs, "leftover ladies" are an important demographic. Though according to demographic surveys, China has more males than females, there are fewer men than women partaking in blind dates.

Mu Yan, Deputy Executive of Baihe.com, explained that people in rural areas prefer to raise boys, and the proportion of men and women is 1.5 to 1. However, in big cities, especially among those older than 20, such an imbalance doesn't exist. "It's just like a pyramid with the younger [women] at the bottom and the older [men] in the spire. For a single woman, she needs a man who is older and more successful than her, so looking up she has fewer choices. On the flip side, most of the men look down, so there are more choices. They are less worried than women when it comes to marriage, [and] many women are left over."

Free marriage

In feudal times, marriage was arranged "by parents' order or on matchmaker's decree." This kind of marriage emphasized equal social status and financial conditions for the man and woman. The founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and the Marriage Law enacted in April 1950 saw the complete abolishment of arranged marriage.

People gradually became more realistic about marital unions. Over the years, financial factors played an increasingly important role. In the 1950s, one could get married as long as he or she owned a bed. By the early 1980s, bicycle, sewing machine, watch and tape recorder were necessities for marriage. By the early 1990s, a TV set, refrigerator and washing machine or a gold ring, necklace and earrings were required. Occupation, family background and hukou (place of household registration) became important factors in looking for spouses.

In the 21st century, there are more diverse ways to pair up, such as network love, quick match and parent-engineered blind dates. Having a house and stable income are now key elements in choosing a spouse. Mr. Wang is among those who set rigid standards for housing and income for his future son-in-law. But, he said, those who come from private and foreign companies should not be considered. "Foreign and private companies are not stable and [their employees aren't] well-paid. It's the best that he comes from a large state-owned enterprise or government department. Most importantly, he should be a smart and capable person."

Learning to love

Besides hunting for boyfriends for his daughter, Wang also taught her how to date, down to the smallest details of how long a date should last and what to say. But not all young people have such parents. According to the Survey of Chinese People's Love and Marriage Attitudes 2009, 71.8 percent of single people don't know how to get along with people of the opposite sex, and many miss out on dating opportunities.

In view of this, many matchmaking companies have launched services in an effort to help. For example, with a unique, online psychological test, Baihe.com records and analyzes its members' dates, giving suggestions on dressing and conversation.

Blind dating is popular in modern society, but it's very different from the traditional blind date. "In feudal society, children had no freedom when it came to arranged marriage," Mu Yan explained. "But it's free love now and the child's choice is the most important. Therefore, accept it or not, parents organizing blind dates in hopes of marrying off their children is not a regression of the times. [It's] just parents hunting for true love for their children."