In public parks across major Chinese cities, traditional matchmaking corners are still a thing. The most famous is in Shanghai’s People’s Park, where hundreds of parents gather with placards advertising their children’s qualities as potential spouses.
The placards read like intrusively detailed resumes, as these parents mean business. Many start with age, height and education before getting to economic status, such as income, car and property ownership. After that typically come the qualities sought in a partner, both physical and financial.
But the younger generation is increasingly turning away from these job-interview-style setups, opting for livestream blind dates as a more authentic way to connect.
Wenyi Matchmaking is the second-most-followed blind date livestream channel on RedNote with 79,000 followers. Its audience is also diverse, ranging from college students and office workers to university professors, divorced parents and middle-aged singles from China and abroad.
Each livestream session allows up to nine people to join a group chat. One participant usually acts as host or matchmaker, guiding the session.
Participants begin by introducing themselves and sharing their criteria for a partner. They are encouraged to showcase a talent to give others a better sense of who they are.
In one livestream, a young voice actress imitated familiar animated characters, while a musical theater actor performed a scene from Beauty and the Beast.
Livestreams can last just a few minutes or go on for several hours, depending on how well things go. Viewers interact in real time, cheering on participants and encouraging potential matches. For Chinese New Year in late January, Live Fully, Get a Blind Date hosted an all-night stream that drew over 500,000 viewers.
Ye Linlin, a young woman from Lanzhou, Gansu Province, relocated across the country to Guangzhou, Guangdong Province for work after graduation. Being far from her hometown and social circle, she found it difficult to start a relationship in her new city.
She tried dating apps, but found many users were not looking for a serious relationship and often posted misleading profiles. She attended a speed dating event hosted by a local matchmaking agency, sitting down for eight-minute conversations with a dozen men.
“That was a frustrating experience,” Ye said. “Whether a woman could find a date seemed to depend entirely on age, weight and looks. It felt like a job interview, only more brutal,” she told NewsChina.
She found traditional blind date events uncomfortable and invasive. “People you’ve just met ask you things like ‘Do you plan to have kids?’ and ‘At what age would you have a baby?’” she said.
In contrast, livestream dating gave Ye a completely different experience. After watching the Live Fully, Get a Blind Date channel for two weeks, she was drawn in by the laid-back vibe and eventually decided to join as a featured bachelorette.
“Participants chat while brushing their teeth, washing up or shaving. The host often wears pajamas. It feels less like a blind date and more like hanging out in a college dorm,” she said.
The group format allows for more natural interaction, helping participants avoid the pressure of one-on-one encounters. Plus, observing how someone behaves in a group provides a more nuanced view of their personality.
“I was so nervous during my first livestream that my voice was shaking,” Ye recalled. “But the second time was much easier. Being one of nine people makes it much more relaxed than a traditional blind date.”
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