Image credit: Unsplash
INSIDE CHINA'S "MARRIAGE MARKET"
5 March 2024
Image credit: Unsplash
In a country of 1.4 billion people, it is not always easy to find Mr or Miss Right
Image credit: X/@ChomskyP
That's why, parents gather in a corner of People's Park in China's Shanghai to find a suitable partner for their children
Image credit: X/@ChomskyP
The "Marriage Market" in Shanghai is held over the weekend where parents hold placards as advertisements
Image credit: X/@Ivan_Petrov
A 5-month ad costs about $3.20 (Rs 265). Unlimited phone numbers can be obtained from marriage brokers for a registration fee of $16 (Rs 1,327)
Image credit: X/@SmutLisa
The standards of finding the right match is based upon age, height, job, income, education, family values, Chinese zodiac sign and personality
Image credit: X/@eytanhalon
Advertisements are also attached to paper bags, clipped to trees, taped on umbrellas or laid on the ground across the Park
Image credit: Unsplash
According to Al-Jazeera, the market has been in operation since 2004 on the site of a former race course
Image credit: Pixabay
There are two main zones in the marriage market - the free one and the amateur matchmaking zone
Image credit: Pixabay
Some sub-zones are divided by birth year, such as the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s
Image credit: Pixabay
The market is a social outlet for concerned parents, the vast majority of whom raised their children under China's one-child policy
Image credit: Unsplash
Check more stories
ndtv.com