'Single sticks' search for light
(Xinhua)Updated: 2006-11-12 09:31
"I have participated in this kind of party more than 30 times," said Wang Bing, 39, who runs his own business and says he's a part-time Latin dancer with in National Chinese Opera and Dance Drama Company.
"I haven't found my love yet, maybe my standards are too high," he said as he browsed more than 20 name cards or 'paper butterflies' he had collected. Just so there's no doubt about his intentions, his email address includes a combination of his name and the word playboy.
"I've rejected the traditional way of finding love, through introductions by family and friends, because I want to find a perfect love on my own," Wang said patting his balding head.
The atmosphere in the banquet hall eventually warms up after some lonely-heart tunes are sung and three-legged races are run, but it's still dripping with a lot of self consciousness.
"I am a little bit ugly and often blush when I talk to women," said 38-year-old Liu, who didn't want to provide his given name but told Xinhau he worked for the Chinese Academy of Sciences and had a doctoral degree in biology.
Although his only goal in attending the party was to find a girlfriend he claims not to be worried about it. "I'm already overall the pressure to get married," said Liu who was a little short,a little older but far from ugly.
The hundreds of Mingming (single women) in the crowd neatly reflected the personality types found in the men. Some were shy, others were looking for a good time and a few were classic gold diggers.
Psychologist Windy Chen says women face a lot of pressure to be married by the time they're 30 and worry they'll not find a partner if they leave it too late.
"The fact is the more people worry about getting married the harder it is to find a suitable partner," said Chen, "And a marriage of convenience can damage a person's future."
In the past, some women married for financial security but that's less a necessity nowadays. Many women now earn more than many men and they're less willing to sacrifice their independence for a less than ideal marriage.
Angel was another Mingming who wouldn't offer her full name but said she is a successful career woman with a big income. She's looking for someone who is kind, wise and considerate but above all wealthy.
"He'd better have a big apartment in Beijing too." she said with a smile as she described her future husband whom she has yet to meet.
Not everyone at the Guanggun party was on the hunt for a relationship or were upset about being single. Many were there just to make friends adding that they may be alone, like the number one, but they were not lonely.
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