Matchmaking agencies cater to China’s super-rich

(Ecns.cn) -- It might be easy for them to earn big money, but when it comes to finding love, many Chinese multi-millionaires need help, says the Xinmin Weekly.

This year the number of Chinese billionaires and millionaires has reached a new peak, and many of them are just too busy to squeeze in time for dating. As a result, some have started spending their riches on matchmaking services to find partners without the often lengthy complications of courtship.

To grab a share of the market, matchmaking agencies and dating sites have scrambled to solve the romantic problems of the wealthy. The successful answer has been to send them on blind dates with carefully vetted bachelorettes.

One in a hundred

Late last June, hundreds of elegantly dressed ladies gathered at a shopping plaza in Shenzhen, a city in south China's Guangdong Province. The women were waiting to be closely examined by a matchmaking agency for wealthy clients.

A month earlier, the China Entrepreneur Club for Singles (CECS) had organized a similar event at a five-star hotel in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

This mass blind date had been specially designed. In the first round, a matchmaking agency screened each of the ladies to see if they passed muster. If any of them met the criteria, they entered the next round and moved one step closer to meeting a wealthy bachelor in person.

According to the CECS, at that time there were 11 "diamond bachelors," each with assets worth more than 50 million yuan (US$7.9 million) – and they all had very high standards.

Whether young or old, they all wanted ladies aged between 20 and 35 and standing at a height of 160 to 175 centimeters. The men also required their partners to be nice looking, elegantly behaved, physically and mentally sound, well-educated, kind-hearted and good at managing money.

As demand for the service has increased across the country, the number of super-wealthy entrepreneurs in the CECS has now increased to 25. Their combined assets are worth more than 20 billion yuan (US$3.2 billion).

Yes or No

To earn trust and praise from its clients, the matchmaking agency authorized by the CECS has to be very careful about the selection process.

Applicants for blind dates must provide detailed information such as height, weight, blood type, chest, waist and hip measurements, romantic history, family background, amount of property owned, and future plans.

The matchmaking agency also employs a specialist to judge whether the women have undergone any cosmetic procedures. Candidates who have been altered are likely to be sent home.

Zhao Chenggang, general manager of a plastic surgery hospital in Guangzhou, is the consultant for the CECS. He said beauty of facial features is not the most important factor for selection; he must also review the character, temperament and tastes of the applicants, and determine whether they will bring good fortune to the families.

If they survive the first round, applicants enter two rounds of questions designed to test their knowledge of art, finance and common sense. They are also challenged by playing games.

Those who score highest will be given an opportunity to chat with multi-millionaires face to face. The rest is up to them.

Profitable business

Assisting super-rich bachelors in their pursuit of romance is very good business, said Cheng Yongsheng, chief executive of the CECS.

The club was founded early this year and is growing fast, said Cheng, who was hired only a few months ago.

At his last job, Cheng was a manager at Jiayuan.com International Ltd, China's top online dating site. He said more and more Chinese people are finding love online, including the super-rich.

Sites such as Jiayuan.com have also hired senior consultants to serve the super-rich, because they are willing to spend a lot of money, Cheng added.

According to Cheng, the CECS's richest member has paid an annual fee of 5 million yuan (US$786,500), just because he is eager to find a wife and wants the best service.

To please such discriminating clients, the CECS sends its staff around the country in search of China's most beautiful single women. Apart from organizing blind dates, the company also throws lavish matchmaking parties to create more opportunities for VIP clients.