Chinese singles start blind dating at a younger age

As the single population in China reached 240 million, Chinese start going on blind dates at a younger age than before, according to a recent survey.

About 40 percent of the post-1995 generation already has experienced blind dates and 38 percent of Chinese singles are younger than 23 years old when they have their first blind date, said the survey by zhenai.com, an online dating platform.

About 70 percent of singles have tried blind dates, while 40 percent have three blind dates every year, and 30 percent have five blind dates, it said.

Interviews with those who successfully land partners through the platform showed that a single may enter into a relationship after five blind dates, on average.

Some young singles also turn to social applications to learn about more potential dates. But the quest for romance could be rough.

"I have chatted with lots of males, but it is not easy to find someone that you like and who also is willing to date you," said Wei Yi, a postgraduate student in Beijing.

"But I would not lower my expectations for my life partner, because it is not that bad to stay single after all," she said.

Lacking experience may be one of the reasons that singles find it difficult to get into a romantic relationship.

The survey also showed that about 90 percent of the singles have have had less than three relationships and 20 percent never have had a relationship.

The long period of being single also is worrying. More than 60 percent of the singles have been single for more than a year and almost 40 percent more than two years.

The first batch of the post-1990 generation, aged at most 29, have already reached the age of late marriage.

However, almost 70 percent of single people hold a positive attitude towards late marriage, believing that mental maturity with age would be helpful for the stability of a marriage, the survey shows.

Though single, the singles seems to be prudent about marriage and the preferred age to marry is 30 years old, followed by 27 years old.

The current high divorce rate also makes singles believe that a marriage requires more cultivation and one should be cautious when starting a relationship.

A survey on the divorced shows that more than 30 percent of married people believe that a couple enters an apathetic period after two years of marriage.