Houston Community News >> Rich Chinese Take a Love boat
12/11/2006 China-- Educated,
overworked and looking for love, members of China's newly-rich gathered for what
was described as the country's first dating cruise - open only to men worth at
least two million yuan (abour $A320,000).
The cruise, organized by a matchmaking website, illustrates a growing phenomena:
well-educated and increasingly affluent young Chinese are having a hard time
finding partners.
Xu Tianli, CEO of website http://www.915915.com.cn, said he staged the event -
tickets for which cost 28,800 yuan ($A4,600) - as a public service for his
site's members.
"We're the country with the world's biggest population, so marriage is a serious
concern, especially for wealthy men who don't have time to meet anyone," Xu
said.
Female participants had to be college educated and undergo a rigorous screening
process.
Xu said participants had been narrowed down from a list of 408 applicants, 119
of them men.
The participants planned to pass the evening cruising the Huangpu River aboard
the Captain One, a faux square-rigger bedecked with pink balloons and fairy
lights hanging from its mast.
Organizers refused to permit photographs or even interviews with participants,
although one man who signed up said he considered the idea behind the cruise
"extremely natural."
"This really is the most natural way to meet someone because everyone is here
for the same reason," the man said.
"Out in the world, you can't just walk up to someone and ask if they're single."
With young Chinese - rich or not - spending more time on work and education and
less on romance, demand is soaring for dating services and other nontraditional
matchmaking techniques.
The website is headed "Heloo stranger" in English, and includes photographs of
attractive, well-dressed men and girls.
Xu said his site's revenues rose 35 per cent this year, although he gave no
figures; his members are 35 per cent men, 65 per cent women.
The site allows members to post photographs and brief introductions and also
counsels singles on how to find a match.
Lin Jingjing, a manager of another matchmaking site, http://www.Marry5.com,
based in the southern business hub of Guangzhou, said business is also booming,
but declined to give specifics.
"We've found that white-collar professionals aged 25 to 40 have the toughest
time of all finding a partner," said Lin.
"Most of them are highly educated, with a good jobs and salaries. But they're
too busy with work and their circle of friends and contacts is too small. That's
a big problem," Lin said.
Along with the Internet, less high-tech means are also being employed to help
couples pair up. In Beijing, Shanghai and other cities, parents gather in parks
armed with their children's photographs and resumes in hopes of meeting another
parent with a suitable match.
(Contributed by AP)