Parents join matchmaking party to seek spouses for single children at Bird's Nest

BEIJING, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Some 1,000 parents holding silk belts, colored red or blue, were wandering between the Bird's Nest Stadium and Water Cube. They were not doing exercises or safeguarding the security of the major Olympic venues - but hunting for marriage partners for their children.

"I'm looking for future husbands for my two daughters and a granddaughter," said Mrs. Yin, 65. "I have been doing business in Beijing for a dozen years. What worries me most is they are still single now."

"I came to the matchmaking fair here to try my luck," she said.

Hopeful parents carried printed paper listing their children's details such as ages, heights, education, hobbies and job prospects, as their children were either too busy or bashful to find spouses for themselves.

The red silk belt meant parents were looking for wives for their sons, while the blue one was a sign that they were seeking a husband for a daughter.

If both sides felt their children were compatible, they would exchange telephone numbers, theirs or their children's.

The party on the square between the Olympic venues on the weekend also attracted another 1,000 single men and women seeking love for themselves.

"I have been to this kind of dating parties several times, but I haven't found the right person," said a woman who was taking a picture of a single man's information card, but declined to give her name.

Organizers said the party had attracted about 500 families as of Saturday evening. More than 2,500 singles came to the square on Saturday morning.

The dating parties spring from a growing trend in China in which young adults delay marriage from the traditional early 20s to their 30s or even older nowadays.

The young Chinese are finding it difficult to find Mr or Mrs Right as some well-educated people prefer to put their careers ahead of family life, while others are listing stricter criteria for their future spouses.

Matchmaking companies usually hold dating parties at weekends, holidays, and special dates such as the 11th day of the 11th month, as the four digits look like single and lonely people.

"We chose a memorable site between the Bird's Nest and Water Cube for the singles. Hopefully, they can find true love here," said Zhao Ying, the party organizer.

"Some are really sincere and serious in seeking husbands at the party," she said.

At an arranged game, a girl from the neighbouring Hebei Province tried to throw a silk ball to a young man she felt satisfied with, but she failed several times, Zhao said.

Traditionally, a young woman throws a silk ball randomly in to a crowd of men, and the one who gets it has the right to propose.

"The girl was not afraid to run up to the man and put the ball in his hand," Zhao said. "We appreciate her courage and sincerity."