Digital Dating In 21st Century China

People's Park in Shanghai, China has become something of a legend.

What appears at first glance to be a flea market is in fact something much more unusual: a marriage market. Ageing parents crowd the walkways, examining personal ads, meeting with matchmakers, and hoping to find partners for their unwed children.

There is, of course, another way to find a spouse in 21st century China - a much more familiar one. Online dating has exploded in China, and is expected to break two billion RMB ($318 million USD) in total annual revenue by 2014. Online dating promises to revolutionize the way singles in China meet, and modernize the way China regards relationships.

The primary players in China's online dating scene - Jiayuan, Zhenai, and Baihe - all advertise specifically as marriage websites. The mean age of marriage is rising in the country, but marriage is still nearly universal and competition for partners is fiercer than ever.

Eligible partners are expected to have similar educational backgrounds and economic standing. Age and height are also importance considerations, as is residency. Those who hold a residency permit in a top-tier city have access to public services and employment opportunities that others do not, making them extremely desirable as spouses. Men are also expected to own a car and hold the deed to an apartment.

Thanks to China's infamous One-child Policy, it's becoming increasingly difficult for city dwellers to meet and marry. Fewer children means fewer potential partners. It means more parental attention focused on each child, and the pressure to perform well in school and at work that comes along with it. And it means fewer opportunities for children to socialize and develop their interpersonal skills.

Add all that up and you get a very competitive dating market, one that is well suited to the modern marvel of online dating. Chinese men and women, who are expected to be hugely successful educationally and professionally, have little time left for relationships. Online dating offers the perfect platform for stressed, overworked Chinese singles to connect.

Like any online dating site, the profiles of sites like Jiayuan, Zhenai, and Baihe provide snapshots of users' lives. In China, however, profiles focus on key screening criteria - like height, weight, monthly income, education level, marital history, and home ownership - instead of less the quantifiable characteristics like interests and personality that are commonplace on Western dating sites.

But as the online dating market explodes for entrepreneurs in China, all of whom are hoping to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities in the industry, major social change is coming along with it. Single men and women in China now have more freedom to choose exactly where, how, and when they find partners, allowing their decisions to be based on love rather than external factors.

For a list of dating sites with Chinese singles you can check out our Asian Dating category.