[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHQEsazK66k?wmode=transparent]
If you are looking for love in China....the Marriage Market in Shanghai's People's Park is the place to go. While the majority of the matchmakers are parents looking to marry off their adult children some are even looking for love for themselves, at every stage of life. Typically the "market" is made up of posts created by parents describing their children's physical and professional attributes, hoping the night picture and texts attracts the right kind of partner.
Sample posts read as follows:
"Female, born 1981, 1.62 meters tall, bachelor's degree, project director at a foreign company, monthly salary above RMB 10,000, looking for someone born between 1974 and 1982, bachelor's degree or above with a sense of responsibility for the family."
“My son is too picky...A lot of girls are interested in him, but he spent a lot of money studying in Stockholm for seven years and he doesn’t have his own house yet.”
If you are interested in attending the market: The "Marriage Market" takes place every Saturday and Sunday afternoon from noon till about 5 p.m. at the north end of People’s Park (人民公园, 75 Nanjing Lu, near Huangpi Bei Lu 南京西路75号, 近黄陂北路) The closes metro station is Metro Line 1, 2 and 8 People’s Square Station.
To learn more: http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/life/people-behind-paper-846851 and http://bit.ly/I93DvQ
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ECQtD7mA8Q?wmode=transparent]
In small rural villages in Spain there is a growing shortage of single women to match the population of available men. From this imbalance sprung the Caravan of Women in 1985, a yearly event in which a bus full of single women from Madrid make the voyage to the small town of Candeleda in hopes of finding a partner. Established by Manuel Gozalo, the women pay approximately $30 for the trip which includes a drink, a snack and dinner while their male counterparts pay $50 for the opportunity to meet the women.
To read more: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/weird-wide-web/matchmaking-bus-tours-hope-spark-love-rural-spain
Last year 60 singles gathering is a stone quarry called Zedekiah Cave to celebrate the 1,500 year old Jewish holiday of love, Tu B'Av, through speed dating. In part tourism push and drive toward matchmaking, the event was sponsored by both JDate, a Jewish internet dating site, and the Israeli governments's East Jerusalem Development.