Single's Day: new dating tradition?

By either celebrating one's single status or changing it on November 11th, young Chinese people are re-shaping dating traditions. Our reporter Li Qiuyuan takes a closer look at some of the new and unconventional dating practices taking hold in China.

A celebration for singletons, but for Yacheng, not being a single woman on Single's Day doesn't mean she can't mark the occasion in her own way.

The fresh college graduate now teaches English at a language school in Beijing. Like many young people born in the internet era, she and her boyfriend met on a social networking website.

Li Yacheng, instructor of New Oriental, said, "I think our generation is more open, we want to find what's good and suitable for us, and we have more choices in terms of ways of finding the right partner."

Online dating and reality dating shows have become a new craze in China. More and more young people are turning to these unconventional dating methods, hoping to find a fast track to love.

Reporter: "November 11th, also known as Single's Day or Bachelor's Day, has grown out of Chinese pop culture, for those people who are still living the single life. Although it celebrates singlehood, it's also an expression of a deep human desire to find love. "

Young generations in China today face growing anxieties over the widening gap between rich and poor, shifting societal values and the difficulties of finding a partner in a country where men are expected to outnumber women by 24 million in less than a decade, partly resulting from China's one-child policy and a societal preference for male progenies.

The pressure of dating is driving a major boom in online dating, as millions of China's singletons log on to find love.

Mu Yan, co-founder of Baihe.com, said, "We have over 36 million registered users, and (for) the active users each month, we have several million, the profit is good, the revenue is roughly over 200 million RMB."

Observers say the boom in these industries also reflects a changing outlook on love and marriage in a society that traditionally places great importance on getting married and building a family.

Raymond Zhou, senior columnist with China Daily, said, "I think the fundamental reason for the popularity of online dating services and television dating shows is that today's young people are postponing marriage and you can cite a lot of reasons, a lot of factors, such as work related pressure, because with affluence comes work related problems, people feel that having a career is more important than developing their personal lives."

The question here is how will new dating traditions look? Will there be even faster, easier ways to date in an increasingly busy, modern society?

And as society offers more ways to find the right person, it looks like your next big romantic adventure could start anywhere, anytime.

Li said, "I'm liberal, I think there's increased possibility in finding true love through channels and platforms such as these."