Shanghai's Marriage Matchmaking Crisis: 1 Man for Every 30 Women – No One Wants Their Houses or Cars

Gender imbalance in Shanghai's dating market is staggering. One man for every 30 women. High quality leftover women are facing intense anxiety and depression. Even with a house and a car, no one wants them. I used to be against blind dates, but now at 35, I don't even have anyone to introduce me to. I'm panicking. I don't care about houses, gifts or weddings anymore. I'm willing to pay for it all myself. Yet still, no one's interested. Guys, don't panic if women aren't chasing you before 40. Once you hit 40, women in their 20s will be lining up for you. A man's prime is at 40, and that's when life truly begins. By 40, you're settled, financially secure, steady and with a car, house and savings. To women of all ages, you're a real catch. There are over 200 million singles in China with 30 million more men than women. In theory, Chinese women should have no problem finding a partner. But in today's dating market, women far outnumber men. Let's look at Shanghai. A recent dating survey revealed shocking numbers. In cities like Chengdu, the ratio of men to women is 1 to 43. In Xiamen, it's 1 to 33. And in Shanghai, 1 to 30. It's now the era of women chasing men. In Shanghai, there are far more single women than men. And good men are already taken. Even a divorced man in his 30s with a house and car is highly sought after. But once a woman hits 30, it's a different story. No matter how attractive, she's often overlooked. It's harsh, but it's reality. At 33, I'm highly educated, yet on blind dates, men judge me based on age and health. At 35, I'll be considered an older mother. Last week, a 40-year-old man I met didn't even reply after we spoke briefly. I felt worthless. Now, at 37, after years of blind dates, I'm heartbroken to admit. I've never met a normal man since turning 30. Let alone high-quality men, I can't even meet a decent one. Before 30, I had chances, but I didn't appreciate them. Now, I regret it. Remember, ladies, normal is the highest standard. In Shanghai, the number of single women has now exceeded 1 million, with 400,000 women over the age of 40. The marriage market in Shanghai is incredibly harsh, and this blogger, who works as a matchmaker, advises older women to lower their standards if they want to find a partner. The reality is, in this competitive city, finding a partner has become increasingly difficult for women, especially those in their 30s and beyond. Shanghai's residents have high incomes, but the soaring property prices make it nearly impossible to buy a house. Many men, discouraged by the high cost of living, often return to their hometowns or settle for less expensive cities. On the other hand, many women remain in Shanghai for career opportunities. And while they may not afford a house right away, they can still secure good jobs, climb the corporate ladder, and even purchase a property later. This difference in priorities leads to an imbalance in the dating pool, with women often outnumbering men. For successful women, particularly those in their 30s, the situation becomes even more difficult. A woman who has become a senior manager or is earning a significant income may find that the men around her are either already married or looking for younger women. This results in a shrinking pool of potential mates. While a woman's career success might be impressive, it significantly reduces her dating options. And for those who are still hoping for true love, the pressure to settle down only increases with time. There are certain industries in Shanghai that are dominated by women, leaving them with limited opportunities to meet men. A matchmaker who works in this field shared her experience of helping older women find partners. One such woman, a 31-year-old with a master's degree and a decent salary, found herself unable to find a partner among the men she met. Despite claiming she had no high requirements, she rejected one potential match for his age and another for his family background, deeming him too poor. The matchmaker, frustrated, pointed out that her standards were unrealistic, especially when many men were simply not interested in older women. This trend has only been exacerbated by the younger generation's more relaxed views on marriage. While older women expect significant betrothal gifts, houses and cars, younger people often laugh at these expectations, viewing them as outdated and impractical. In fact, the post-00 generation is changing the rules of the marriage market. For these younger women, the idea of spending millions on a house and car just to secure a marriage feels unreasonable. Instead, they are more focused on personal freedom and career goals, challenging the traditional marriage expectations set by older generations. As the dating scene in Shanghai evolves, older women are increasingly finding themselves out of touch with the realities of today's marriage market. While women in their 30s still hold on to their high standards, younger generations are redefining what it means to be successful and fulfilled in both life and love. This shift in the dynamics of the marriage market is forcing older women to adapt, and many are realizing that if they don't lower their expectations, they may be left behind. The South Square of Shanghai Railway Station used to be crowded with people. Let me see how it is now and whether there are still many people. This basement leads to Metro Line 3. It used to be full of shops. Strangely, all the shops here have closed down. Now, none of the four shops are open, and this shop is closed too. I can see two people, but all the shops are closed. Almost 70% of them. You know, this is the largest railway station in the center of Shanghai and the busiest place in the city. There were almost no empty shops here before, but now almost all of them are closed. The economy is over. The entire Chinese economy is over, completely over. All collapsed, all collapsed. This is the largest city in China, Shanghai. How could the economy collapse like this? Experience it yourself. You see, it looks incredible up ahead. Milk Red is closed. There is no way to survive in the days ahead. Come and see. This is Shanghai. It is 8 o'clock in the evening, and there is no one in the large shopping mall spanning tens of thousands of square meters. Those who said they wanted to start a business in Shanghai, do you still dare to come? Look at the whole building, upstairs and downstairs. How many square meters, yet no one. Where have all the people gone? In the comments, tell me where you're from. Type it out and see. Is there any place more depressed than Shanghai? What's going on? All closed down, all closed down. This video was shot by a netizen on March 8th at Heping Road, Longhua, Shenzhen, Guangdong. The scene in front of him shocked the shooter. There is no one in Guangdong anymore, and there are almost no people on the street. The once-bustling crowds are gone forever. A large number of factories cannot be rented out, and many large factories have moved away. Some to Southeast Asia, and some directly back to their provincial capitals. The pressure here in Guangdong is too great, and running a physical store is getting harder and harder. Even the rent can barely be paid. Brothers, the new year has begun again. This is the place where I have been for more than 20 years. Suzhou Lianfeng Plaza, which can now only be described as very desolate. Really, very desolate. The street is cold and empty, without a single person. What has happened to Sujiahui, once known as the heart of Shanghai, and Xinguangqian in Suzhou over the past few years? They have become sparsely populated, depressed, and filled with bankruptcy after bankruptcy. After the Chinese New Year, looking back, the physical industry is dumbfounded, right? Business is worse than last year, and demand is even weaker. Wholesalers say there are no customers, and retailers say the same. There are no customers, no sources of income, and goods just won't sell. Inventory is piling up. The blogger said that not only is it difficult to make sales, but the risk of unemployment is also high, and he feels completely overwhelmed. Physical stores simply can't survive. He said he had just chatted with several store owners that day, and their complaints left him mentally drained. These days, don't chat with physical store owners. You'll be drowned in their grievances. Then, who can you chat with? It seems like everyone is having a hard time. According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of the Communist Party of China on March 9th, the Consumer Price Index, CPI, fell 0.7% year-on-year in February, marking the largest drop in 13 months. This exceeded the 0.5% decline forecasted by economists surveyed by Reuters, and was also steeper than the 0.4% drop in Bloomberg's survey. Beijing vowed last week to boost consumption in response to the escalating trade war with the United States. However, according to an analysis by Zhang Zhiwei, chief economist at Baoyuan Asset Management Co. Merleau-Tidore, cited by Voice of America, China's economy is still facing deflationary pressure. Although developments in the science and technology sector have improved market sentiment, domestic demand remains weak. Chinese Premier Li Cheng recently mentioned consumption 31 times in the government work report, higher than the 21 mentions last year, and surpassing even the number of times technology was mentioned. Wang Wentao, China's Minister of Commerce, stated at the National People's Congress on March 6th that the main issue with commodity consumption is weak consumption capacity and willingness to consume. To revive sluggish household demand, Beijing has doubled its consumption subsidy plan for commodities such as electric vehicles and home appliances this year and allocated 300 billion yuan, about 41.42 billion U.S. dollars, in ultra-long-term special government bonds to support the old-for-new replacement of consumer goods. However, Reuters quoted analysts saying that the effect of this measure is unlikely to be sustainable since consumers cannot afford to replace expensive durable goods every year. Reuters pointed out that Li Cheng's emphasis on consumption is evident. But the policies he introduced to promote household consumption have been deemed insufficient by economists. Economists have long called on China to implement structural reforms to shift state resources from industry and government agencies to consumption. However, the growth in minimum pensions, medical care and other social welfare benefits has been minimal. Huang Jinrong, a professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Raman in Malaysia, told VOA that China's CPI rose by only 0.2% last year. From a macroeconomic perspective, this is close to an emergency deflationary situation, indicating a severe lack of domestic demand. In this case, the real countermeasure should be this is the first time in more than 20 years. Bloomberg believes this clearly shows that Zhongnanhai has finally acknowledged that deflationary pressures are plaguing the Chinese economy and that increasing people's consumption capacity will be a challenge. Reuters quoted analysts as saying that the United States and other countries raising trade barriers on Chinese products will intensify deflationary pressure in China. The severe blow to global demand caused by the tariff war has forced Chinese exporters to launch price wars worldwide. It has also compelled many foreign trade manufacturers to carry out large-scale layoffs or reduce employee wages to maintain competitiveness, further exacerbating the deflationary pressure on the Chinese economy. Chinese customs data showed that the total value of imports and exports in the first two months of this year was 6.54 trillion yuan, down 1.2% from the same period last year. Among them, exports were 3.88 trillion yuan, up 3.4%, while imports were 2.66 trillion yuan, down 7.3%. In U.S. dollar terms, imports and exports fell by 2.4%, with exports growing by 2.3% and imports declining by 8.4%. The Associated Press reported that annual export growth was less than half of the 5% expected by experts, while imports were the exact opposite of what was anticipated. Immediately after returning to the White House in January this year, Trump announced a 10% increase in tariffs on all Chinese imports. In early March, he raised tariffs on China by another 10%. Currently, tariffs on China have risen to around 40%. Julian Evans Pritchard, an economist at Capital Economics, a London-based economic research firm, said that China's export growth slowed in the first two months as expectations of rising tariffs dampened demand. The slowdown occurred before the tariffs were implemented, and the tariffs will almost certainly lead to a sharp drop in Chinese shipments to the United States in the near future. Pritchard was quoted as saying by the Associated Press, as the Chinese economy faces a recession, the Beijing authorities have been forced to change course, claiming that they want to protect private enterprises that they have repeatedly suppressed. When discussing the tasks of the NPC Standing Committee for the coming year on the 8th, Zhao Leiji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China, stated that 34 bills have been scheduled for review, including the formulation of the private economy promotion law, financial law, and financial stability law. Many NPC deputies and CPPCC members claim that the law on promoting private economy is the first fundamental law specifically focused on the development of the private economy. It aims to strengthen judicial protection of the personal and property rights of private enterprises and their operators, boost confidence, stabilize expectations, and allow private enterprises to develop with greater peace of mind. When the draft law was introduced late last year, Lai Jianping, a former Beijing lawyer and chairman of China Democracy and Peace Canada, said that the so-called private economy promotion law was still a covert ploy by the Communist Party to deceive private entrepreneurs and public opinion. He argued that the CCP's political system ensures that private entrepreneurs do not have an independent legal environment in which to operate in accordance with the law, making it inevitable that private enterprises cannot obtain the same status and treatment American economist David Huang also pointed out that China's private economy faces widespread issues of improper law enforcement, such as selective enforcement, distant water fishing tactics, and other illegal seizures and freezing of corporate assets, all of which directly affect the normal operations of private enterprises. Lai Jianping called this a deceptive tactic. When unemployment is high, exports fall, and demand remains weak, the CCP urges private firms to invest. But once the economy recovers, it reverts to suppressing them.