The parents view it as a way to uphold traditional dating for their children, i. Parents will hold signs, or have advertisements dangling from strips or placed on top of umbrellas. This market is an information exchange market. The currency is both the information, but also, of course, the adults who are trying to be married off by their parents. If both sets of parents believe that the matching will be successful, they set up their kids on a blind date, whether they like it or not. This marriage market is unique as it involves many different kinds of currency, exchanges, sellers and buyers. Often, they will approach any person they see in the park and try to convince them to marry their child.

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Early last month, I asked a group of young professionals a question: where can I get to know retired people in Shanghai? It is a sanctuary with trees, ponds and winding brick paths in the very heart of the city center. Parents in their 50s, 60s, and even 70s gather there to find life partners for their children fig.

Seeking Love in Shanghai: The People’s Park Matchmaking Corner to meet, exchange photos, and set up dates for their acquaintances.

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Now 40, Chow has been actively looking for his legendary lady for a full decade. The Shanghai native has registered on around 20 online dating platforms, but he says that as he gets older, he more often prefers offline events. For more than four years, he has used the services of Jiaoda Matchmaker, a platform he favors for its elite clientele and detailed listings. For instance, Chow can choose to register for an event if he sees that a physician is among the women who have signed up.

The platform has also drawn controversy for its gendered pricing.

China’s ‘marriage market’ where mom sets you up on your first date

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With a view of People’s Square, the iconic Jin Jiang Park Hotel in Shanghai was built in and is one of the Nanjing Road West, Huangpu, Shanghai, China – Excellent location – show map – Subway Access Check-in date.

Walk into the famous People’s Park in People’s Square on Metro Line 2 — the heart of Shanghai City — on any weekend between 12 pm and 5 pm, and you will see something strange — a huge gathering of people which is the bustling Marriage Market. At first glance of this crowd, the author thought it to be some real-estate brokering day event of sorts, but realized this to be more on the lines of a marriage brokering weekly event where desperate parents and grandparents are milling about, looking for a mate for their unmarried offspring.

It may sound quite crude, but actually this is traditional and a regular activity for the middle aged and the elderly folks. China Highlights was curious to know more about what exactly goes on there. We found that most of the folks there were anxious mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts and even grandparents looking for a good match for their sons and daughters of marriageable age which is open to debate.

We have to warn you that this section of the park can get very crowded at this time. But it is a one of a kind experience that fascinates you as you walk through scores of pamphlets snapshot biographies lining up the pathways and animated parents and grandparents involved in heated discussions and ‘brokering’ marriage deals, wondering what special qualities of the brides and grooms are being advertised.

People line up here, sitting on the ground with biographies stuck on umbrellas making it their private stalls , discussing futures of young people, who, in all probability, are not too happy with this arrangement. We didn’t really see any eager-to-be bride or groom and suspect the enthusiasm is fueled purely by the parents. The pamphlet biographies include details such as birthdays, height, weight, hobbies, job of the candidates and figures that seemed like monthly incomes of the candidates.

Some may even have a photo, giving it a real life dating website feel in a funny way. Don’t feel strange if you get eyed from top to bottom there by curious mothers. We thought it was a good way to pass some time, observing serious conversations amid hordes of ‘marriage agents’.

Visit Shanghai Marriage Market | What you should know

Visiting Shanghai Marriage Market is one of the best things to do to explore local life in Shanghai. Unlike other love markets in Asia where young people look for dating partners, marriage markets in China are dominated by parents who gather to find potential spouses for their children. I know. It blew my mind when I first got to know the concept behind marriage markets in China as well.

People’s Park is a public park in Huangpu District of central Shanghai. The marriage market or “blind date corner” in People’s Park has existed since

Democratic National Convention. Politics This Morning Replay. PBS NewsHour in 2 hours. Democratic National Convention Day 4 in 5 hours. See all. New York allows voters to get absentee ballots amid virus concerns. Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko. The parents chat with each other about the attributes they — or rather, their children — are looking for in a mate. This phenomenon developed organically more than a decade ago in Shanghai and has since sprung up in other parts of China, said Zhen Trudy Wang, a former Caijing magazine reporter in Shanghai who now works for a public relations firm.

People were meeting at the park anyway to practice dancing, badminton and martial arts. Parents talk, and the matchmaking arose naturally. A bride poses among flowers in Tongli, a preserved ancient village in eastern China. Some Chinese youth are more amenable to being set up by their parents, because they grew up in a household that values obedience, said Wang. The parents who instill obedience tend to be the ones who take this more active role.

People’s Park

A lovely place to take a stroll and take a rest from most of the crowds, noise and commerce that is Shanghai. In the heart of the city. Very near Nanjing pederestian area. Nice place to see and take good pictures of the surrounding buildings.

Dating back to , the area has a much more relaxed feel than the more modern The urban oasis that is People’s Park lies off Nanjing Road, and while it’s a.

The market is crowded with the elders, mostly parents, sometimes even grandparents, aunts or other relatives, who have the anxiety of their unmarried offspring. According to the figure investigated by some parents, the number of unmarried females is greater than that of male, and the sex ratio is about So, excellent males are pretty popular in the Marriage Market.

Age, zodiac, sign, weight, height, job, education background, personal income or birthplace is always seen. You may seldom see information about personal hobbies, or appearances. Besides, many parents list several requirements on which kind of mate they would like to choose for their children. For example, a special area is set for parents whose children have overseas study experience, so they have a greater chance to find an equal match for their children. Because if parents select a suitable and excellent mate for their children on Saturday, they can arrange the matched pair to date on Sunday.

This reflects the contradiction: on one hand, most of the parents are anxious and desperate to find the mate for their children as early as possible, and any delay of an extra day would make it difficult for them to sleep or eat; on the other hand, they are also willing to spend a lot of time picking and choosing, listing all kinds of requirements, and are always looking for a better one.

Shanghai’s ‘marriage markets’ are exactly what they sound like. We checked one out

My favorite hotel in Shanghai and one of the nicest in the world. Ivan November 23, Airport transfer.

Parents of unwed adults go to People’s Park in an attempt to marry off their children. The parents view it as a way to uphold traditional dating for.

Cookies help us to give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings if you wish. Otherwise we’ll assume you’re OK to continue. OK See our policy. September 18, , by Tony Hong. Due to its central location, it is sometimes used as a gathering point for political rallies and demonstrations in Shanghai.

The park has been the focus of major student protests, such as those in the winter of , and was used during the Tiananmen Square protests of , when tens of thousands of people gathered in the park and The Bund in a display of solidarity with the protesters in Beijing. Day to day, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors to the park. People can be seen dancing, practicing Tai Chi routines, and playing games of dominoes and cards throughout the park, especially in the much favoured hidden cloisters of the rock gardens.

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activity, but the civic center of downtown Shanghai is the People’s Park. exchange contact information and arrange a date for their children.

Meet Market with Chinese Characteristics. After all, amidst all the international brands and skyscrapers, the whole idea seems rather anachronistic. While the marriage market certainly seems like something from another era, it is, in fact, a relatively recent response to changing demographics and social conditions, having started in the early s.

The primary goal of attending the wedding market is for parents to find a suitable partner for their child. Modern ideas of love had little relevance, as marriage was more about solidifying or advancing the social or sometimes financial or political status of the family. Think part blind date, part job interview, with your bossiest relatives doing most of the talking for you.

The People’s Park in Shanghai – Marriage Market and Tai Chi