Inside the Business of Being Single in China

This section of society has become a major economic presence， feeling more secure emotionally and financially with rising disposable income. They are still young， confident and single with money to spend on designer living and brand name products. Internet shopping is part of their daily lives with door-todoor food deliveries. Online gaming and pets address their emotional needs， while eating out is more than a treat.

Up to 77 million adults live alone， an increase of 16 percent compared to 2012. By 2021， this number is expected to reach 92 million， data from marketing consultancy Euromonitor revealed.

Naturally， this market is now worth billions of dollars with online giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd reporting that products targeting “singles only”jumped 5.6 times last year compared to 2015.

“A major trend involves products and services that are tailor-made for singles such as mini refrigerators， smallsized high-end retail stores providing imported goods， and smaller apartments，” said Liao Tianshu， managing director of Boston Consulting Group Greater China.

Part of the reason behind this is the decision by affluent singles to marry later in life， especially in major metropolises. In 2014， the average age of men getting married in Shanghai was around 30. For women， it was about 28， according to the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau. This might have something to do with the fact that Chinas four biggest cities， Beijing， Shanghai， Guangzhou and Shenzhen， also have the highest divorce rates. Research by the Boston Consulting Group showed that about 16 percent of the urban population in China live alone. “The concept of being single is no longer negative， and its natural for them to dine and travel by themselves，”BCG stated in a report.

During the past two decades， they have also become wealthy and a key component of Chinas middle class. Single holidays are booming， while food delivery services and restaurants have rolled out services to fit into their busy lifestyles. To cater for this niche market， the Haidilao hot pot chain based in Sichuan province has come up with an innovative move at its 200 restaurants.

Fluffy toy bears sit next to single diners so they do not look so alone.“Services provided by （outlets such as） Haidilao are tailored for single diners，”said Neil Wang， president of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan in China. “Other restaurant brands have also launched similar services， such as providing set meals and seating places for one person，” he added. Apart from the decision to push back plans to marry， singles appear more confident about their fi-nancial prospects and their emotional feelings. Many have spent years in further education and that is starting to pay off， as far as their careers are concerned.“The main reason for the increasing number of singles is because people are financially and emotionally feeling more secure on their own，” said Alina Ma， senior research analyst at the global consultancy Mintel Group Ltd. “Economic and social development contributes significantly in eliminating insecurity issues caused by the lack of a partner，” she added.endprint

A survey released by the World Economic Forum earlier this year underlined the point that todays singles are better off than the previous generation and are willing to spend. The WEF report showed this section of society was under the age of 35 and spent 40 percent more on various products than their predecessors with the same income. In a poll conducted by Mintel， movies， television shows， traveling and fitness regimes were the three most discussed topics among Chinese singles.“This is partly because they need to enliven their lives and the result of the booming Chinese entertainment indus-try，” Ma at Mintel said. Zhai Chunming is a regular moviegoer， despite the heavy workload as an English teacher at a privately-owned institution in Beijing. He loves his visits to the cinema and believes the experiences enrich his life.“I am used to going to the cinema on my own，” the 31-year-old said.” The good thing is there is no limit on the genre of the movie or when to go. “ I can even watch a movie at midnight and no one will interrupt me to chat about the film，” Zhai added. “These are the blessings of being single. If I need to discuss my views about the movie， I can do it online.” Lifestyle retailers， such as Japans Ryohin Keikaku Co Ltd or Muji， have been quick to move into the singles market by selling small rice cookers， ovens and kettles.” Not only manufacturers have launched special-size products tailored for singles， but service providers are also moving into the sector，” Wang at Frost & Sullivan said. “For example， more real estate agencies have introduced single rental apartments，” he added.

There are currently 118 men to every 100 women in China – thats an excess of more than 30 million. But Yu was arguing that the actual reason Chinese men cant find girlfriends is their laziness， and the fact that they are looking for a breed of subservient woman that no longer exists.

‘If you dont have a car and you dont have a house， please move aside dont block my way， chimes one girl in the video. ‘I also have a car， I also have a house， and [money] in the bank. So if youre not as capable as I am， dont depend on me. I am not your mother，says another.

Within 48 hours of posting their video on Youku – Chinas version of YouTube – their song had been viewed 1.5 million times， and garnered tens of thousands of negative comments. ‘What kind of women are these？ read one typical male rant. ‘I say women in the old days were better. ‘We were just having fun， claims Yu， 24， when asked why she made the video. ‘Men have always asked so much of us. We want them to know that we have standards now， too.This is something that Gong Haiyan， the female founder of the countrys biggest dating website， knows only too well. In 2003 Gong was 27， single and dissatisfied with the online dating services available at the time.endprint

Taking matters into her own hands， she set up the matchmaking site Jiayuan（‘Beautiful Destiny） to help women like her， and within three months had met her husband via the site. With more than 58 million registered users， the site has given her a clear picture of what constitutes ‘the ideal woman in the eyes of a Chinese male.

‘The most popular woman is the traditional， angelic type， she says. A faint smile crosses her lips as she admits that many search for women with ‘large breasts and slim figures， adding， ‘The most common profession searches are for girls who are teachers or nurses， as men think those women will be able to educate and care for their children well. By contrast， says Gong， womens requirements are multiplying all the time， but thats not necessarily a good thing. ‘The key things women search for on our site are a mans height， salary and whether or not he owns a car or a house. Certainly， if womens requirements were lower we would have a higher match-success rate. Its very hard to satisfy women in China these days. ‘In Beijing， only 12 per cent of men using the site own their own house， so almost all the women on the website are trying to choose from this 12 per cent. That makes it very difficult.endprint