Family values

For Gong, who set up Love21cn.com in 2003 in Shanghai, the event was proof that she had made the right decision in venturing into the dating market. Even though she met her husband online, she was not impressed with most of the dating sites that existed at the time.

She said that although she wanted to find a serious relationship and was not interested in wasting her time, many others she encountered on the Web were looking for more casual relationships.

"People will pay for a good relationship because the Chinese value marriage a lot and are willing to pay to find the right match," she said. "Time changes almost everything, but looking for romance, choosing a spouse and getting married remains a core issue in Chinese life.

"But how people acquire that information and make the decision has altered greatly. China's matchmaking service has come a long way from the old, conservative and single mode to the independent, open and diversified mode.

"The evolution also mirrors the tremendous social progress China has made."

Jason Tian  chief executive officer of Baihe.com, which claims to be China's largest online dating site  said one of the biggest challenges facing the industry in China was when users of Internet dating sites become the victims of crime, such as physical attacks and fraud involving people they have met online.

"Things like this will hurt the industry, and that is one of the challenging things we are facing," Tian said. "But things like this are common issues that happen even without serious online dating websites."

Although online dating services have existed in China for several years, websites that focus on providing serious relations came into operation only about two years ago.

"Before 2004, there were almost no significant players in this area, but things have begun to change," Tian said. "There are more and more players developing new projects, and there is a lot more marketing, so we are seeing a big jump in users.

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