Shanghai‘s “Marriage Market” โReveals Stark Realities for China’s Single Women
SHANGHAI -โ A British-chinese โwoman’s foray into Shanghai’sโ famed “marriage market” at People’s Square underscores the intense societal โpressures โfaced by singleโฃ women in china, where demographic shifts adn โtraditional expectations โconverge. โThe author, seeking both anthropological insightโข and personal connection, documented a landscape dominatedโ by parental intervention and a prioritization of financial stability โขover romantic compatibility.
Six โmonths after initiating a data-driven dating strategy – 100 daily Tinder swipes, โข50 culls, โฃand a filter for literacy and basic decency – the author relocated to China on sabbatical, partly to explore the experience ofโ being a shengnu (“leftover woman”),โฃ a โterm used to describe unmarried women over the age of 27. while dating apps in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Shanghai yielded limited results – two to three matches aโข week – a friend in Shanghai encouragedโ her โtoโข participate in the weekend marriage market.
The market, a physical manifestation ofโ parental matchmaking, operates as an analogue toโข dating apps. Parents display profiles of their children on umbrellas,listing vitalโค statistics in a specific order: gender,age,height,salary,and the squareโฃ footage of any existing property โคin a first-tier city.
The author’s โexperience was far โคfromโ welcoming. After being โscrutinized for her footwear โby a tango instructor during lessons arranged by her friend, she ventured into People’s Square with encouragement from G, a friend described as a “formidableโข matriarch fluent in love, duty โขand European bakeries in Shanghai,” who urged herโ to “Go forth in the name of anthropology, โขdiscover โandโ conquer.” Though, she found herself an outsider, with fellowโ participants โคrefusing to swap partners during the tango lessons.
