In the mood for love

It's a Saturday afternoon and on the 29th floor of an office building in Beijing's CBD, a group of men and women sit facing each other in separate rooms, smiling nervously and casting furtive looks to avoid direct eye contact. Sitting between them, a consultant tries to break the ice by cracking jokes.

An amused Tian Fanjiang watches these proceedings from behind a glass wall. The founder of Baihe.com, a major marriage broking website, is rather pessimistic about today's youngsters being able to find life partners.

"Do you know how many men or women strike up a conversation before going deep into a relationship every year? No more than five," says Tian, 35.