Group plans monthly matchmaking fair

Shanghai's matchmaking industry association plans to begin holding a monthly event at Xujiahui in Xuhui district to give parents a new outlet to find potential spouses for their children, local media reported Sunday.

The organizer, the Shanghai Matchmaking Association, aims to provide a regular, and regulated, matchmaking event for parents anxious to see their single children married off.

Events such as the Love and Marriage Expo, one of the city's premier matchmaking events, have proven popular with singles and their parents, but are not held regularly, said Zhou Juemin, the association's director. The expo, for example, is held only in May and November.

"We are going to add another regular and reliable platform for parents of the city's singles to exchange information about their children, who are perhaps too shy or too busy to look for themselves," Zhou told the Global Times.

Zhou said the event is especially geared toward anxious parents who want to exchange information directly with other parents without dealing with unlicensed matchmaking agencies.

To ensure that parents don't try to dupe each other with false information, attendees are required to bring their children's degrees and certificates to prove their children's educational and professional backgrounds, as well as their marital status and the size of their salaries. Zhou said attendees can fill each other in about supplementary information, such as their children's personalities and interests, when they meet face-to-face at the event.

Registration has already opened for the first of the monthly matchmaking events, which is tentatively scheduled for next month, Zhou said. Parents interested in attending can call the association directly or inquire at one of the city's licensed matchmaking agencies.

The event will be held at the association's building on Tianping Road. Zhou said it is possible that the association will find another location if the building can't accommodate all the attendees.