In China, an Education in Dating
- 7 years ago
In China, an Education in Dating
“But that’s not the case for women, and this is why so many Chinese men can’t have a long-term relationship.”
The makeovers are followed by the students posing for photos — reading Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time,” sipping tea
and nibbling canapés presented in a silver bird cage, looking pensively out a window.
Most social interactions in China usually start or end with people scanning each other’s
WeChat QR codes — a practice known as saoing — or adding each other’s WeChat IDs.
The same month, the All-China Women’s Federation in northwestern Gansu Province helped organize a similar event for “leftover men
and women,” a term used in China to refer to unmarried people in their late 20s or older.
Now, Mr. Zhang is ready for love — but like many men in China, he doesn’t know where to begin.
“There are many people who lack the ability to have a relationship,” said Mr. Zhang,
who enrolled in a three-day course during a weeklong holiday in October.
Mr. Zhang’s dating coach, Zhang Mindong, said he was once like the men he teaches.
In China, where the mobile internet has revolutionized social life, getting to know a person takes place
almost exclusively on WeChat, a popular social media tool that is used by nearly 1 billion people.
“But that’s not the case for women, and this is why so many Chinese men can’t have a long-term relationship.”
The makeovers are followed by the students posing for photos — reading Stephen Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time,” sipping tea
and nibbling canapés presented in a silver bird cage, looking pensively out a window.
Most social interactions in China usually start or end with people scanning each other’s
WeChat QR codes — a practice known as saoing — or adding each other’s WeChat IDs.
The same month, the All-China Women’s Federation in northwestern Gansu Province helped organize a similar event for “leftover men
and women,” a term used in China to refer to unmarried people in their late 20s or older.
Now, Mr. Zhang is ready for love — but like many men in China, he doesn’t know where to begin.
“There are many people who lack the ability to have a relationship,” said Mr. Zhang,
who enrolled in a three-day course during a weeklong holiday in October.
Mr. Zhang’s dating coach, Zhang Mindong, said he was once like the men he teaches.
In China, where the mobile internet has revolutionized social life, getting to know a person takes place
almost exclusively on WeChat, a popular social media tool that is used by nearly 1 billion people.