Parents bemoan loss of 'matchmaking' park (2)

A mother surnamed Li, who is in her 60s, is searching for a wife for her 32-year-old son, who works in an advertising company. "Legal agencies provide another channel for us, which means more opportunities," she said. "There is such a gender imbalance nowadays that I fear these weekend events will just fade away."

Zhang Chunxiang said matchmaking activities should be allowed only under regulation.

"There are a large number of "leftover" people who don't have channels to meet one another and have small social circles," he said. "That's not good for a healthy society. Simply blocking matchmaking services here is not good, but the activity needs to be monitored."

Nonprofit matchmakers who don't charge for their services have fallen victim to the crackdown. Auntie Lin is one of the founders of the blind date corner in the park. She has been there every weekend since 2005. She has about 10 volunteers, all retirees, who help her.

Lin and her group register information on singles and make it available to those looking for partners. "I don't like playing mahjong or square dancing like other retirees," Lin said. "Matchmaking is my only pastime.

"The crackdown is a torture for me," she said. "I'm not sure what to do."

She said Luxun and Fuxing parks do not have the convenience and high profile of People's Park. "The authorities should manage the site, not just drive us all out," she said. "There is a huge public demand for matchmaking services and this is the best venue."

Indeed, the pursuit of love — or at least partnership — has been bringing people to the park every weekend for 10 years. As many as 2,000 people, mostly parents, attend at any given time. Small wonder that illegal operators saw their chance.

It is easy for scam agencies to prey on the anxiety of parents who want to see their sons and daughters married. Some charge high fees, with promises of up to 30 introductions.

Cai Minghong, an official with the Huangpu District's park greenery authority, said the current crackdown will continue, and legal agencies and nonprofit groups are being encouraged to move to other places.

He admitted it's hard on any given weekend to separate who's who in the park. Illegal operators blend in with parents and legitimate matchmakers and are hard to weed out.

Earlier, the matchmaking association created a regular event to rival the famous weekend meetings held at People's Park, but that attempt to circumvent illegal matchmakers failed.