Online marriage brokers are common in China, but a
young Chinese Web site is thriving by turning the traditional idea of marriage
on its head.
Called "Marriage for Asexuals" (www.wx920.com), the site claims to be the
first and biggest online marriage broker for "asexual" people in China. It says
it has attracted 7,000 members since it was launched last year.
Its rapid success illustrates the expansion of the Internet in China, the
increasingly permissive nature of Chinese society -- and the way in which small
but growing minorities of people are stepping away from traditions that have
dominated culture for thousands of years.
"I came up with the idea to help a friend, who lost his sexual abilities
after an accident," said the 33-year-old founder of the Web site, who works
full-time for an information technology company in the remote southern province
of Guangxi.
A Communist Party member and a volunteer social worker, the founder was
willing to identify himself only by his Internet name Lin Hai, as he chose not
to tell his parents and co-workers about the site because he worried about their
reactions.
"At the beginning I couldn't believe so many people from all over China were
drawn to my Web site," said Lin.
Sixty percent of the site's customers are people who cannot have sex, Lin
said. The rest are "comrades," the Chinese nickname for homosexuals, who sign on
in search of an opposite-sex spouse, often to relieve social and family
pressure.
New Forms of Marriage
The site is particularly daring in a Chinese context because of the culture's
strong emphasis on heterosexual marriage and child-bearing. Confucius taught
that not having children was the height of filial impiety. A Chinese "work unit"
or employer often acted as matchmaker.
But "Marriage for Asexuals" is an example of the way in which the institution
of marriage is being modified and adapted, mostly in China's cities, by
breakneck economic and social development.
So-called "DINK" marriages, standing for "double income and no kids" -- it is
fashionable to use the English acronym -- have become popular among young urban
professionals. Such arrangements wouldn't raise an eyebrow in the West, but in
China they are still viewed as something of a radical lifestyle choice.
"I have no time to raise kids, or even to go through pregnancy," said a
manager in her late 30s at a Japanese company in Shanghai. "I'd rather save the
money and time to live more happily with my husband."
Underlining the still-controversial nature of her choice, the manager was
willing to give her name only as "Ms. Liu."
Another innovation is "marriage on weekends," where couples deliberately live
apart on weekdays to maintain their independence.
"There is much more space for unconventional marriages, as the society
gradually withdrew from people's private lives," said sociologist Sun Zhongxin
of Fudan University.
Lin said he had not received any official criticism or warnings over
"Marriage for Asexuals."
Mixed Tones
The Web site is tastefully designed in a pastel shade of green, featuring
traditional Chinese music and a romantic picture of a Western man and woman at
the top of the home page.
It includes discussions of asexual marriage as well as a contacts section
through which people can meet each other. It is free of charge, but accepts
donations.
"I want a Beijing boy who is outspoken, upright and who treats my parents
well," wrote "Beijing Girl" in a typical posting. "I am a translator, tall and
slim, and I earn 2,000 ($250) to 3,500 yuan per month."
The tone of some other postings is more tragic in a country where
homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder until 2001, and where it remains
stigmatized in many places.
"My parents threatened to never see me again or even to commit double-suicide
if I do not have a baby soon," said a Mr. Wu in a posting.
"Many co-workers look at me like a jerk, an impotent, or a sick person, just
because I've been married for 10 years and have no kids
yet."