Matchmaking Convention - VnExpress Life

China Dressed in traditional costume and wearing a red flower in her hair, Ms. Wang invited a woman onto the stage to introduce herself and her ideal man.

"Just tell me who you like, and my godmother will invite them to the stage," a woman in her sixties asked a young girl at the Kaifeng scenic area in Henan province.

At the event, Ms. Vuong played the role of “godmother” to the women and helped them find husbands. Once the girls shared their models, she would help find suitable partners. Men at the event could raise their hands and interact with the women on stage. Successful couples would exchange contacts on the spot.

If a woman fails to find a suitable partner, the matchmaker skillfully smooths over the awkwardness. If she sees a shy man, she teaches him how to express his feelings. And if the matchmaking fails, she gives the "broken" ones a voucher to buy something from the scenic spot as a consolation.

"Mrs. Wang" at a live matchmaking event in Kaifeng, March 28, 2024. Photo: Thinkchina

The show " Mrs. Wang Talks Matchmaking " in the Kaifeng Scenic Area has become a viral phenomenon on Chinese social media. Topics related to Mrs. Wang have garnered more than 6 billion views, while the number of followers on her personal account "Mrs. Wang of Kaifeng Prefecture" has skyrocketed from 230,000 on March 15 to more than 6 million in early April. The venue is often packed before the event begins and lasts two hours, instead of just 10 minutes as before.

Kaifeng, the "ancient capital of eight dynasties", has once again become a hot tourist destination thanks to the popularity of matchmaker Wang. Many netizens said they had planned to go to Kaifeng to attend Wang's event during this Qingming Festival.

Data from Tong Cheng Travel shows that searches for the scenic spot have increased by more than 700% in the past week, with bookings up more than 200% compared to last month. The Kaifeng government has also specially convened a meeting to study how to capitalize on this phenomenon.

This program is based on the ancient matchmaking tradition in China, inspired by the character of Wang Ganniang who introduced Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian to each other in the novel Water Margin. The person who plays Mrs. Wang is Zhao Mei, 61 years old, an employee at the Kaifeng tourist area for 7 years and has a lot of experience in matching young people.

Zhao Mei said that this was originally a program to introduce daily life in Kaifeng during the Song Dynasty to tourists, but she took the initiative to add matchmaking elements. "Young people today are often under a lot of pressure and busy, so they don't have time to look for a partner. My program meets the dual requirements of modern blind dates: being both fast and reliable," she said.

Trieu Mai revealed that there are about 40-50 couples who get married each year after "finding each other" through this collective matchmaking program. This is indeed an impressive number compared to professional matchmaking centers in China.

An aerial view of the crowd at "Mrs. Wang Talks Matchmaking" in Kaifeng, on March 30, 2024. Photo: Thinkchina

The show's appeal is largely due to the speaking and hosting talents of Mrs. Vuong . Trieu Mai always stirs up the atmosphere with sayings like "If you don't date, you'll never meet the right person" or "There's nothing shameful about being brave enough to express your love." The MC's enthusiasm and sincerity help single people gain the courage and confidence to step forward to find love.

Netizens felt that compared to dating companies that charge tens of thousands of yuan for their services, Ms. Wang’s free, on-site matchmaking service actually made people more confident and comfortable. They praised her for keeping the show warm, even though the participants were strangers and required a lot of improvisation.

However, the show also had its fair share of controversy and drama. For example, a couple who had been divorced for three years took the stage and, after Ms. Wang’s mediation, hugged each other in tears and decided to reconcile. This surprise made the audience skeptical that it was staged. Another man who was successfully paired on stage was actually married, sparking accusations that the matchmaking here did not conduct any background checks and was not taken seriously.

Experts feel that while Ms. Wang's explosive popularity is partly fueled by vloggers and viewers, the fact that the show can attract such a large number of participants proves that young people still have a need for matchmaking.

Peng Kaiping, dean of the School of Social Sciences at Tsinghua University, said the popularity of "Matchmaker Wang" showed that young people still had high expectations for love and many were truly hoping to find their other half. His observations showed that 70% of people needed help from others to find their other half.

In fact, attitudes toward matchmaking are changing. Dating and marriage website Jiayuan.com released a report in 2023 that said more than 50% of young people after 2000 could accept matchmaking to find a partner, and compared to the previous generation, they started looking for matchmaking from their 20s.

The banner on the car read: "All my dates in Yiyang, Hunan have failed and now I am accelerating to Kaifeng. Mrs. Wang, wait for me!" Photo: Thinkchina

The demand for a “matchmaking corner” in cities is also growing among residents, as young people have difficulty finding partners. According to a report by The Paper, since last year, many residents from areas such as Beijing, Urumqi in Xinjiang, Yan’an in Shaanxi, Gaoping in Shanxi, etc. have called on local governments to set up matchmaking corners in local parks.

At the event, not only tourists on stage have the opportunity, even people standing below can exchange Wechat. One person shared, the event is like a music festival, people go there to watch the performance, make friends or even go on a casual date.

On the surface, the support for "Matchmaker Wang" does not reflect so much a desire to get married as it does a hope for young people to escape the circle of daily life and dating. At the same time, the holiday mood and relaxed atmosphere of scenic spots also help to reduce the obstacles of dating in the real world, helping young people to open their hearts.

“Matchmaker Wang” has broken certain stereotypes about young people’s desire for relationships and marriage. However, one cannot rely on this one show to make a difference. According to many experts, less intervention and more sincerity like Ms. Wang, may be the catalyst to promote dating and marriage in China.

Bao Nhien (According to Think China )

Source: https://vnexpress.net/dai-hoi-mai-moi-4732402.html