Photo: China Youth Daily

 
TheMK socks weather warms up as the Qingming Festival approaches, a trend has emerged among single youth in Shanghai to organize outings for foraging wild vegetables. What seems like a simple outdoor activity has become a new path to start a romantic relationship. Young people in China are gradually creating new models for finding love, which emphasize a relaxed and enjoyable social experience instead of the traditional rigid methods of arranged matchmaking.

Participants engage in various online and offline activities, such as hiking, walking and interactive games, to get to know each other better in their search for true love. The matchmaking approach, which discards the pressures and constraints of traditional matchmaking, has quickly become a new favorite among young people seeking to find a partner. A survey conducted by China Youth Daily and published on Friday, involving 1,339 respondents, revealed that 73.9 percent of those surveyed reported that young people around them have tried interest-based interactive activities for matchmaking.

Many on social media platform RedNote published posts to recruit young people to attend such activities for matchmaking. Among them, one netizen named "Wangwangdebeijingdanshenshe" said that she has brought 78 couples together through these activities.

Zhong Pei, who works in Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province, recently celebrated her 30th birthday. She told the Global Times that she prefers to downplay the pressure of looking for a boyfriend and instead enjoys the process of making friends, allowing love to develop naturally through shared interests. This mindset has led her to participate in a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking and music festivals.

"While enjoying the music festival and being immersive into the relaxed atmosphere, I find it easy to strike up a conversation with a stranger," said Zhong, who generally feels too shy to engage with men in her daily life.

The diverse updated matchmaking methods reflect that Chinese young people remain deeply invested in finding meaningful relationships, while their approach has shifted. Marriage is no longer regarded as a societal obligation or a practical arrangement. Instead, it is viewed as a partnership that fosters personal growth, emotional connection and self-fulfillment. 

In Shanghai's wild vegetable foraging trend, groups of singles gather in the countryside to bond over a shared activity. This low-pressure environment allows them to interact naturally, free from the rigid expectations of traditional matchmaking events. Such activities emphasize authenticity and emotional resonance, enabling participants to express themselves without the anxiety of being judged solely on external factors like income, family background or appearance.  

This optimistic approach to dating demonstrates that young people are not rejecting marriage but are instead redefining it. They seek relationships that align with their individuality and values, prioritizing emotional fulfillment and shared life goals over societal expectations.

Dai Qingfeng, the president of the Social Science Academy of Nanchang, holds similar view. He noted that as the time changes, the views of young people on relationships and marriage are constantly evolving. Whether it's offline interest-based social activities or "cyber matchmaking" in live-streaming rooms, these approaches are characterized by fun, freedom and relaxation. This method allows young people to participate in matchmaking activities while fulfilling their social and entertainment needs, achieving multiple benefits at once.

Different from traditional matchmaking, which often positions individuals as arranged objects, the new trend of matchmaking aligns with the minimalist lifestyle and social approaches favored by today's youth. The rise of this model also reflects the need for matchmaking platforms and organizers to adapt to evolving trends; the best methods are those that meet the needs of young people, as Dai said.

While the more relaxing model offers a refreshing alternative to traditional matchmaking, it is not without its challenges. For example, while interest-based activities like Shanghai's vegetable-foraging outings or group travel events provide opportunities for singles to observe each other's personalities, they may not fully reveal the deeper aspects of compatibility necessary for long-term relationships. Short-term interactions in fun and relaxed settings might mask potential challenges, such as differences in values, communication styles, or approaches to handling conflicts.  

"Relationships built on shared interests must also foster honest communication, emotional depth, and mutual support to truly thrive," Zhong noted that building a connection through these activities is just the first step to her.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn