Summary
The pressures of the "love game" are heightened, in China, by demography. Across the country there are more young men than women - one of many malign consequences of the "one-child" policy - but the concerned parents attending the "love market" know that, in the cities, eligible young men are at a premium.
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Extract
China's Love Market
Each Sunday afternoon in Beijing, about 300 people gather in Dr Sun Yat-sen Park, next to Tiananmen Square. Most are in their fifties and sixties. To Chinese eyes, their behaviour seems odd. They are certainly not here for a spot of t'ai chi, nor are they about to take part in a subversive demonstration. Instead they watch each other, shyly yet purposefully. Suddenly a booming voice breaks the awkward silence: "What have you got?" Its source is a large, grey-haired woman, approaching a quiet couple.
"A girl. And you?"...See the full content of this document
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