Parents in Shanghai help kids looking for love

UP to 6,000 parents were among the 30,000-some participants who turned out for a two-day mega matchmaking event in Shanghai's Qingpu district over the weekend.

The parents attended the fifth annual Shanghai Love and Marriage Fair to try to scout potential mates for their children. In many cases, children didn't even know their parents were there.

About 70 percent of the parents had daughters whom they wanted to find spouses for, according to Zhou Juemin, director of the Shanghai Matchmaking Association. Zhou said she thinks it was a record turnout of parents.

In China, women are regarded as being "left on the shelf" if still single in their late 20s. The same applies to men in their mid-30s.

As a result, parents with sons and daughters approaching those ages will do almost anything to help them find a partner.

The two-day matchmaking event was free for singles under 40, while parents were charged 50 yuan (US$8), as organizers don't want too many moms and dads there.

"I noticed a new trend this time," Zhou said. "Some singles were taking the initiative to talk with parents, whereas in the past, it was parents who initiated discussions about possible match-ups."

Zhou said many single young men she observes don't know how to communicate with women. Her organization has counselling available at the event to offer free services to those who need a psychological nudge toward dating.

In future, the association plans to be more targeted in events. It may organize a matchmaking fair aimed at Chinese returning from overseas. That group often has difficulty finding partners as they are older than the norm in the mating game.