IN CHINA, PANICKED PARENTS FISH FOR MATES

[Trien Chieu]

I thought this is thing of the past for china, but unfortunately it's not.
It's so funny that the parents still have to look for their children's life time partners.

http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archi...0/1900320.aspx

IN CHINA, PANICKED PARENTS FISH FOR MATES

BEIJING – On Sunday afternoon thousands of people gathered near Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium for a mass blind date.
But the scene was not the usual one of young swinging singles mixing and mingling; rather, it was full of anxious parents looking for love for their still single adult children.
At the entrance a billboard with heart shaped signs gave attendees instructions: "If you are a parent of a son looking for a girlfriend, please wear a blue ribbon. If you are a parent of a daughter looking for a boyfriend, please wear a red ribbon. If you are a single, please wear a tag [saying] ‘I’m looking for you!’"

$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/090420-beijingcrowd1-hmed-12p.standard.jpg')Bo Gu/ NBC News Parents crowd into the matchmaking event in Beijing’s Olympic Park.
Parents strolled around hunting for different colored ribbons, striking upconversations and asking for details such as "How old is your daughter?" or "How tall is your son?" They exchanged information, complete with pictures and resumes, in the hope of finding their son or daughter the perfect spouse.
Some parents did manage to bring their children along. Zhao Qi, a 31-year-old businessman who sells sea cucumbers – a product many Chinese believe to be extremely nutritious – came with his 74-year-old father.
"I’m not picky at all…age or appearance…they are not important. I just want to find someone who I can talk with, who I feel comfortable to live with," said Zhao.
Dressed in a gray suit and sporting a shy smile, he voiced his concerns about the dating scene. "Girls now are so choosy, they are very hard to please. I only have a diploma from a vocational school, so I think my low education is the reason they don’t appreciate me that much."
Compared to the son’s bashfulness, his father, Zhao Lianrun, seemed more anxious and aggressive, having bought him an expensive apartment near the Summer Palace, one of Beijing’s main tourist destinations. He’s ready for him to start a family.

"I didn’t have a son until I was 43 years old. Now I’m over 70, and I can’t wait to see a grandchild," he said. "People have introduced many girls to my son, but my wife is too picky! She wants the best for him, so we are here today to take a look."
$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/090420-beijingcrowd2-hmed-12p.standard.jpg')Bo Gu/ NBC News One mother takes a closer look at the profiles of available singles at the matchmaking event.
Disproportionate numbers
As a result of the one-child policy, introduced in China in 1979, and a cultural predisposition for males that has led to forced abortions and female infanticide, there is a disproportionate number of eligible young men in the country.
In the year 2000 there were 117 boys for every 100 girls – and that ratio is believed to have grown. Worrying about your child’s marriage prospects has long been a major part of Chinese culture, but the striking statistics have compounded the issue.

There is a saying in China: "</SPAN>There are three ways to be unfilial; the worst is to not produce offspring." (The other two offenses are not listening to your parents and not making enough money to support them when they are old.)
The culture pressure to marry has led to an explosion of matchmaking businesses.
[COLOR=#0000ff]
[/COLOR]Zhang Ying, deputy general manager for a dating service called "I’m looking for you" ([COLOR=#0000ff]www.95195.com[/COLOR]) and the organizer of Sunday’s event, said more than 10,000 people showed up at the venue over two days. While the event was free, her dating service currently has over 100,000 members in Beijing – each paying about $44 for lifetime service until they are married.
China’s National Population and Family Planning Commission estimates that by the year 2020 there will be 24 million more men than women, so dating service companies look set to continue being one of the countries’ growth industries.
And imagine 48 million desperate parents looking for love …

[Trinie]

Thanks for the article and I did not know that China still had this problem. One of my friends who is from China does not want to admit that. She said that only the countryside has a gender imbalance, but within the cities there is a balance. Not sure if it is true.

I wonder if Hong Kong and Taiwan have this problem since they are pretty overcrowded too??

[Guo Xiang]

We just had something like this months ago, too. LOL

[Ren Ying Ying]

Thanks for the article and I did not know that China still had this problem. One of my friends who is from China does not want to admit that. She said that only the countryside has a gender imbalance, but within the cities there is a balance. Not sure if it is true.

I wonder if Hong Kong and Taiwan have this problem since they are pretty overcrowded too??

i suppose the "imbalance" is probably more prominent in the countryside. also remember that there is a mass migration from country-->city nowadays.

[Trinie]

i suppose the "imbalance" is probably more prominent in the countryside. also remember that there is a mass migration from country-->city nowadays.

THanks for reminding me.. I forgot to think about it in that way....I thought that this imbalance was only something of the past too... I guess not...

[jiang bao]

That's just embarrassing. I wonder what the children think of this. LOL

[Candide]

Don't knock the service, TC. You might just need it one day.

[Trien Chieu]

THanks for reminding me.. I forgot to think about it in that way....I thought that this imbalance was only something of the past too... I guess not...

I think the imbalance is increasing during the past few years. However, I don't think it's a big deal at all as these 20+ million men can stay single if they are unable to find a mate.

Don't knock the service, TC. You might just need it one day.

No way, I am enjoying my single life. If I meet someone special down the road, then it is good. Otherwise, I stay single.

[big master]

If I meet someone special down the road, then it is good. Otherwise, I stay single.

exactly! i agree!

[Guo Xiang]

I think the imbalance is increasing during the past few years. However, I don't think it's a big deal at all as these 20+ million men can stay single if they are unable to find a mate.



No way, I am enjoying my single life. If I meet someone special down the road, then it is good. Otherwise, I stay single.

Hmm. That's because you are still young, so you may not feel the 'rush'. Wait till you hit a certain age yet happen to be still single... hehe...

[Trien Chieu]

Hmm. That's because you are still young, so you may not feel the 'rush'. Wait till you hit a certain age yet happen to be still single... hehe...

Not that young anymore. I am 31

[milKBoi]

Not that young anymore. I am 31

In other words u have been a career minded woman. Thats okay ur still young. Since the divorce rate is so high in the states. Its best to wait and find the right bloke than just choose some lousy guy.

[Trien Chieu]

In other words u have been a career minded woman. Thats okay ur still young. Since the divorce rate is so high in the states. Its best to wait and find the right bloke than just choose some lousy guy.

I am a guy, not a woman. Anyway, as I said before "If I meet someone special down the road, then it is good. Otherwise, I stay single." I do not want to be with someone I have no feeling for just for the sake of having relationship.

[Han Solo]

Wat in singapore? Really?

Han Solo

[Guo Xiang]

Wat in singapore? Really?

Han Solo

Yes. Our birth rates here are low with an aging population, and people here tend to prefer getting married late.

[Trinie]

Yes. Our birth rates here are low with an aging population, and people here tend to prefer getting married late.

Really?? I did a whole paper on Singapore but it was on a different topic so I was not sure about the birth rates. I did not know that Singapore had such low birth rates. Are there limitations on how many kids per family like China?? I know that Singapore is small and crowded too right??

[Trinie]

In other words u have been a career minded woman. Thats okay ur still young. Since the divorce rate is so high in the states. Its best to wait and find the right bloke than just choose some lousy guy.

I can't believe that you thought TC as a female. But then again, it is ok since I often get the gender of many of our members here incorrect as well.

I think it varies because some people get married and stay happy while there are others that get married late and still get divorced. I am 30 and still single because I want to focus on career, but I will not stop love if it comes to me since I am getting old.... The biological clock for females are shorter than males...

[Guo Xiang]

Really?? I did a whole paper on Singapore but it was on a different topic so I was not sure about the birth rates. I did not know that Singapore had such low birth rates. Are there limitations on how many kids per family like China?? I know that Singapore is small and crowded too right??

Decades ago, the government felt there's too many people so they ran a 'Stop At Two' campaign, which is something like China's one-child policy. Basically you get fined if you have a third child.

There is a general consensus that the campaign worked too well, because even now when the government will reward us for having more children, few are prepared to have a third child.

And yes, we are very small and very, very crowded now. Current population is about 4.8 million and the government plans to pack another 1.2 million in, which I guess will be foreigners since we refuse to be breeding machines. I'm not sure how we are going to manage that. Stress is actually one of the factors why Singaporeans are having low birth rates, and such a population density is surely going to boost stress.

[milKBoi]

I am a guy, not a woman. Anyway, as I said before "If I meet someone special down the road, then it is good. Otherwise, I stay single." I do not want to be with someone I have no feeling for just for the sake of having relationship.

my bad, i didnt know but i sure do now. Well since ur a dude, then u got plenty of time to find the right girl as ur still young. Just look at that guy who going to marry issabel leung. He's like 41. And she is only 20.

[Guo Xiang]

my bad, i didnt know but i sure do now. Well since ur a dude, then u got plenty of time to find the right girl as ur still young. Just look at that guy who going to marry issabel leung. He's like 41. And she is only 20.

I doubt TC is as rich as he is.