China In traditional dress and red flowers in her hair, Ms. Wang invited a woman on stage to introduce herself and her ideal man.
"Just tell me who you like, and my godmother will invite them to the stage," a woman in her sixties asked a young girl, at the Kaifeng scenic area in Henan province.
At the event, Ms. Vuong plays the role of “godmother” to the women and helps them find husbands. Once the girl shares her model, she will help find a suitable partner. Men at the event can raise their hands and interact with the woman on stage. Successful couples will exchange contacts on the spot.
If a woman fails to find a suitable partner, the matchmaker skillfully smooths over the awkwardness. When she sees a shy guy, she teaches him how to express his feelings. And if the matchmaking fails, she gives the “broken-hearted” a voucher to buy something from the scenic spot as a consolation.
"Mrs. Wang" at a live matchmaking event in Kaifeng, March 28, 2024. Photo: Thinkchina
The show " Mrs. Wang Talks Matchmaking " in the Kaifeng Scenic Area has become a viral phenomenon on Chinese social media. Topics related to Mrs. Wang have garnered more than 6 billion views, while the number of followers on her personal account "Mrs. Wang of Kaifeng Prefecture" has skyrocketed from 230,000 on March 15 to more than 6 million by early April. The venue is often packed before the event begins and lasts two hours, instead of just 10 minutes as before.
Kaifeng, the "ancient capital of eight dynasties", has once again become a hot tourist destination thanks to the popularity of matchmaker Wang. Many netizens said they had planned to visit Kaifeng to attend Wang's event during this Qingming Festival.
Data from Tong Cheng Travel shows that searches for the scenic spot have increased by more than 700% in the past week, with bookings up more than 200% compared to last month. The Kaifeng government has also convened a special meeting to study how to capitalize on this phenomenon.
This show is based on the ancient matchmaking tradition in China, inspired by the character of Wang Ganniang, who introduced Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian to each other in the novel Water Margin. The person playing Mrs. Wang is Zhao Mei, 61 years old, an employee at the Kaifeng tourist area for 7 years and has a lot of experience in matching young people.
Zhao Mei said that this was originally a program to introduce daily life in Kaifeng during the Song Dynasty to tourists, but she took the initiative to add matchmaking elements. "Young people today are often under a lot of pressure and busy, so they don't have time to look for a partner. My program meets the dual requirements of modern blind dates: fast and reliable," she said.
Trieu Mai revealed that about 40-50 couples get married each year after "finding each other" through this collective matchmaking program. This is indeed an impressive number compared to professional matchmaking centers in China.
An aerial view of the crowd at "Mrs. Wang Talks Matchmaking" in Kaifeng, on March 30, 2024. Photo: Thinkchina
The show's appeal is largely due to the eloquence and leadership of Ms. Vuong . Trieu Mai always stirs up the atmosphere with sayings like "If you don't date, you'll never meet the right person" or "There's no shame in bravely expressing your love." It's the enthusiasm and sincerity of the MC that gives single people the courage and confidence to step forward and find love.
Netizens felt that compared to dating companies that charge tens of thousands of yuan for their services, Ms. Wang's free, on-site matchmaking service actually made people more confident and comfortable. They praised her for keeping the show warm, even though the participants were strangers and required a lot of improvisation.
However, the show also had its fair share of controversy and drama. For example, a couple who had been divorced for three years took the stage and, after Ms. Wang’s mediation, they hugged each other in tears and decided to reconcile. This surprise made the audience skeptical that it was staged. Another man was successfully paired on stage, but was actually married, sparking accusations that the matchmaking here did not conduct any background checks and was not taken seriously.
Experts feel that although Mrs. Wang's explosive popularity is partly fueled by vloggers and viewers, the fact that the show can attract such a large number of participants proves that young people still have a need for matchmaking.
Peng Kaiping, dean of the School of Social Sciences at Tsinghua University, said the popularity of "Matchmaker Wang" showed that young people still had high expectations for love and many people really hoped to find their other half. His observations showed that 70% of people needed help from others to find their other half.
In fact, attitudes toward matchmaking are changing. Dating and marriage website Jiayuan.com released a report in 2023 that said more than 50% of young people after 2000 are likely to accept matchmaking to find a partner, and compared to the previous generation, they start looking for matchmaking from their 20s.
The banner on the car read: "All my dates in Yiyang, Hunan have failed and now I'm accelerating to Kaifeng. Mrs. Wang, wait for me!" Photo: Thinkchina
The demand for a “matchmaking corner” in cities is also increasing among residents, as young people have difficulty finding partners. According to a report by The Paper, since last year, many residents from areas such as Beijing, Urumchi in Xinjiang, Yan’an in Shaanxi, Gaoping in Shanxi, etc. have called on local governments to set up matchmaking corners in local parks.
At the event, not only tourists on stage have the opportunity, even people standing below can exchange Wechat. One person shared, the event is like a music festival, people go there to watch the performance, make friends or even go on a casual date.
On the surface, the support for "Matchmaker Wang" does not reflect so much the desire to get married as the hope of young people to escape the circle of daily life and dating. At the same time, the holiday mood and relaxed atmosphere at the scenic spots also help to reduce the obstacles of dating in the real world, helping young people to open their hearts.
“Matchmaker Wang” has broken certain stereotypes about young people’s desire for relationships and marriage. However, one cannot rely on this one show to make a difference. According to many experts, less intervention and more sincerity like Ms. Wang, may be the catalyst to promote dating and marriage in China.
Bao Nhien (According to Think China )
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