Shanghai Matchmaking Fair

Every Sunday, a mysterious market is held in People's Park at Shanghai's People's Square. This market, voluntarily organized by citizens, grows more bustling with each passing week.

On this particular day, the park was packed with three or four times its usual crowd. Near the entrance, over a thousand silver-haired seniors bustled about. Their average age was likely in their sixties. They had come here thoroughly prepared.

Each clutched a unique "direct mail" (DM) they had prepared specifically for this day. These DMs listed age, income, education, occupation, and more, resembling personal profiles. Some even included photos. The most crucial information was their desired criteria for a partner. For example, "must own a home" or "must own a car."

This is a "matchmaking market" for finding marriage partners. The participants aren't the singles themselves. They are silver-haired parents who have come for their precious children. Their children are "surplus men and women" – a new Chinese term for single men and women in their 30s who have passed the typical marriage age.

Most of these "surplus men and women" are white-collar office workers. Due to reasons like busy work schedules, they've neglected opportunities for romance and matchmaking, and have yet to find a partner to share their lives with.

Parents can't wait for their children to feel ready to marry. Every Sunday, they come to People's Park, comparing their child's profile with countless others. They emphasize their child's unique selling points in the profiles, competing for uniqueness. They join the matchmaking battle to find the ideal spouse as quickly as possible. That bustle is the city itself.

Incidentally, my office also has capable "surplus men and women." When I mention the "matchmaking market" to them, laughter erupts. It's as if it has nothing to do with them.

After laughing it off, they say, "Being a marriage dropout isn't so bad, actually. You can live freely, no pressure to raise kids. The only real worry is not being able to face your parents."

Becoming a surplus man or woman might be a good opportunity to rethink the meaning of love and marriage.

(Supervised by: Dentsu Inc. Aegis Network Business Division)