Chinese dating characteristics
In contrast to the casual “hook-up” dating culture associated with online dating in the West, a significant amount of Chinese customers use the services to seek long-term relationships and possibly marriages. In fact, family is a very important concept in Chinese culture, and marriage is regarded as the most significant milestone of adulthood. Unmarried men over 30 and women at the age of late twenties are labeled “leftovers”. However, their growing prosperity is making them pickier. The common belief of a prospective partner with a similar social-economic status still exists today. Many Chinese singles, especially migrant male workers, have turned to online dating after being sick of unsuccessful blind dates arranged by the parents. Around 60% of online dating users earned below five thousand yuan per month.
A developing market
Local companies understand the importance of material security and marriage-oriented relationships in Chinese dating preferences. Questions about personal financial status are often asked in online dating profile settings. Baihe is one of the country’s largest dating platforms that cover one-stop services from online matchmaking and offline events, to relationship counseling and wedding planning services. In 2015, the enterprise merged with another popular matchmaking site Jiayuan, further consolidating its dominant position in the market. With over six million combined monthly active mobile users, Baihe Jiayuan generated a double revenue at 1.3 billion yuan in 2018. On the other hand, its major domestic rivals Zhenai and Youyuan reported a drop in sales revenue. Experts have estimated the number of Chinese online dating users would further increase to 78 million by 2022. It suffices to say that online dating and matchmaking will continue to drive the marriage industry in China.
