Love and Relationships in China: Concubines, Single-Child Policy and Singles Fairs

With an estimated 180 million singletons in China and people traditionally marrying early, the race to find a soulmate before surpassing the sell by date is frantic. Singles fairs, where CVs are passed around, speed-dating and lessons in the art of seduction are all examples of a booming westernised market. But there is a massive imbalance in the sexes due to the penchant for male offspring since the single-child policy was introduced in 1980. Future brides are in short supply and the men most likely to find a wife are those in a strong financial position. With the economic liberalization of China and the rise of the wealthy businessman, an ancient tradition has resurged: the concubine. Young women, often students from poorer families, seek positions as mistresses at the beckoning call of wealthy men. Hidden away in lavish apartments and given large sums of pocket money, they enjoy a life of ease and luxury. The wives of these men have gone to drastic measures to unveil their fickle husbands’ crimes. W