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Finding a Spouse in Labor Park |
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Written by Stephen Keith
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Monday, 25 August 2008 |
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Finding a wife or husband is not easy in
China , especially for professionals who are very busy and do not work around members of the opposite sex. In
China , there are many ways to help young adults make connections. One rather interesting way happens on the 15th and 30th of each month in Labor (Laodong) Park.
 Parents of adult children gather in Labor Park to exchange information
A specific area near the Jiefang Road Entrance will be filled with parents carrying signs containing personal information about their adult child and the particular requirements that the parent is seeking for the potential mate of their child. I stumbled upon this phenomena during a recent visit to
Labor
Park . I observed the hubbub of activity for a few minutes when a young man came up and asked if he could help.
I told him I was trying to figure out what was going on. He then explained that in
China , it is difficult for young adults to meet other young adults so their parents help out by meeting at
Labor
Park twice a month to seek likely dates/mates for their children. So from one parent (or grandparent) to another, information is exchanged and suitability determined for further exploration. My presence immediately attracted a crowd and my new friend said the moms all wanted to know what kind of woman I was looking for. The sign being held by one mother says that her daughter was born in 1978, has graduated from college and she is 1.6 m tall. Below the line on her sign are the particulars the mom is looking for in terms of “fixing up” her daughter. It says that the male must be between the ages of 30 and 36, be at least 1.7 m tall (it is important in
China that the male be taller than the female and that he be older than she) and have formal university training, preferably a computer engineer.
 This mom's sign says she's looking for a man at least 1.7 m tall
An article from China Daily verifies the role of the parent in helping their child find a spouse. The article said, “During her visit home for Chinese New Year, Gan Xiaoge's parents lined up five suitors for her, hoping the migrant worker, already considered an old maid in her village, would finally get married. ‘I met one man a day, but I didn't like any of them. They were either construction workers or factory workers. I don't want to marry someone who is not doing as well as I am,’ says Gan, a kitchen cabinet saleswoman in
Beijing .”
I’m not sure of the effectiveness of this system of matching, but it sure attracts a crowd.
 Parents tack information about their children on trees
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Last Updated ( Friday, 03 October 2008 )
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abhijeet
jim
