In the context of ever-increasing divorce rates, and with Chinese parents placing pressure on their offpsring to marry, a “Lightning Round” of marriages is the next crazy attempt at finding a VW Passat, an unfurnished apartment in Pu Dong and someone else to help make paper money to burn for your deceased relatives happiness (article in Chinese). It seems that 100 people arrived in order to meet a partner, decide in a matter of minutes if they are “the one”, and then marry each other there and then.
Most [of the participants] have at least a bachelor degree and their monthly salary is around 5,000 RMB. Some of them are even general managers of various enterprises. One woman, Miss Yuan, stated that there is nothing wrong with being open about the subject of marriage, and because of the nature of this event, people won’t feel awkward to discuss marriage when meeting someone for the first time. Besides Miss Yuan, other participants also think this event is candid and practical.
“My parents are nagging me about marriage everyday, I feel guilty,” said one gardening general manager in his 40s. He has tried one-to-one marriage meetings several times. He has become tired of this attempt at marriage, whilst being under the pressure of his parents. Thus “Lightning Marriage” might be a comparatively good way for him to solve his individual problem. Parents have been strongly encouraging their children to do this. “Nowadays society is too complicated. It might not be a bad thing for our children to meet their Mr. or Mrs. Right at that special occasion.”
So is this the newest endeavour to find Mr. or Mrs. “Best of a bad bunch”, have one child, buy Ikea furniture, and live safely ever after? Sorry, no time to get into that social analogy — we have to go out and buy hong baos for this wedding we’ve been invited to tonight …
Also on Shanghaiist:
Cold wars lead to Shanghai’s first “purely foreign” divorce
Desperate future housewives
Father knows best … but should he choose your wife?
