The single most important issue

Those of marriageable age who return home for the Chinese New Year reunion tend to hear the giant sucking sound of the institution of marriage, reminding them that to be single is shameful.

The Lunar New Year is the most festive of all Chinese holidays, with family reunion as the centerpiece, somewhat akin to Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one.

Now that the twin pet peeves have receded into the background - the massive human migration has been made easier by the nation's fast expanding high-speed train network and the New Year's Eve Gala has exhausted all forms of grumbling - there is renewed interest in the age-old custom of pestering marriage-age children with a weeklong bombast of questions and advice.