Chinanews, Beijing, Feb. 26 – Ms. Wu participated in a matchmaking fair held in Beijing’s Alter of the Earth last Wednesday, hoping to find a girlfriend for her son, who is a white collar working for a foreign-invested enterprise. This grand matchmaking fair had attracted thousands of local citizens in Beijing.

 

Basic information of each participant was written on a slip of paper and put in the Alter of the Earth. There were young people looking for friends, and old couples also come to choose friends for their children.

 

Ms. Wu was shortsighted and had some difficulties reading the written information. She told our reporter that she had to think about her son’s marriage, for he was the only child in the family.

 

Matchmaking fairs have become popular in Beijing, where a variety of matchmaking activities were held in Zhongshan, Zizhuyuan and Yuyuantan parks in 2006, and also held during this year’s Spring Festival.

 

Xu Ye, a young girl working for an accounting firm, said that such traditional friends-making way had been revived. She was forced by her parents to see four bachelors in 2006, including a teacher and a civil servant.

 

“I met the last bachelor in a KFC restaurant. He was five years older than me. After talking for three minutes, I finally thought he was not the guy I wanted for lifelong companion,” said Xu.

 

Statistics show that the number of people in a family on average is down to 2.71, and more and more young people choose to remain single. Beijing Television Station also broadcast matchmaking programs, which also attract young people.