A speed dating party in Beijing has attracted thousands of students from many prestigious¹ universities in the capital, reports Beijing Youth Daily.

 

《北京青年报》报道，北京的一场相亲会吸引了来自首都多所著名高校的数千名学生参加。

 

The party was held on Sunday in Haidian district which is home to many of the city's major colleges.

 

A large queue of eager students had gathered well in advance of the 2:00pm opening time for the event which lasted 4 hours.

 

Shi Yanqiang, who was in charge of the party, told reporters that strict rules were put in place. Every attendee could talk to between 200 and 300 people within the four hours, making an average of one person per minute.

 

"The party is efficient and fun, which makes it popular among college students," said Shi.

 

Although college students attending the dating party did so for different reasons, the most common was the fear of becoming 'leftover² women' and so are seeking every opportunity to find possible dates before graduation.

 

Unmarried women over the age of 27 often become stigmatized³ as 'sheng nv' or 'leftover women,' as marriage and motherhood are highly⁴ valued in Chinese society.

 

"I'm a graduate student in one university in Beijing. I'm already past the age of 25, and my parents urge me to find a boyfriend. I attended the party to look for possible dates since I don't want to go to a blind date arranged by my parents," said one female⁵ attendee.

点击收听单词发音