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In a rapidly changing nation like China, the pressure to marry has become something of a social epidemic. If you are 30 and still unmarried, many parents’ first stop is the ‘Marriage Market’ at Shanghai’s People’s Park. Every Saturday and Sunday, between 1 pm and 5 pm, hundreds of parents gather there, posting A4 sheets displaying their children’s photographs, age, height, weight, occupation, income, hobbies, and even personal expectations; pinned to umbrellas, boards, or sheets of paper. Inside Shanghai’s Unique Marriage Market This is not a market for jobs or property, but for life partners, where parents play the role of shopkeepers and other families become prospective customers. This tradition originated in 1996 as a result of China’s one-child policy, which, combined with a cultural preference for sons, led to a gender imbalance, around 40 million more men than women. It also gave rise to the term sheng nü (“leftover women”), used to describe women who postponed marriage in favour of higher education and careers. By 2025, following a fall in marriages as well as population decline of 1.39 million in 2024, the marriage market had become even more prominent. Parents On A Mission: Finding The Perfect Match Situated in Shanghai’s Huangpu District, People’s Park transforms into a marriage market every weekend. Parents sit on folding stools displaying their children’s profiles and scouting for suitable matches. Most of the listings advertise daughters, as sons are perceived to have better jobs and higher incomes. Contact details, often WeChat IDs, are exchanged, and when a match is found, parents arrange what they call an “old family friends’ dinner”, usually without consulting their children, much to their annoyance. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jorden Tually (@jordentually) The Marriage Market Expands Across China This phenomenon is not confined to Shanghai; similar markets have appeared in Beijing, Chengdu, and Guangzhou. Yet the one in Shanghai remains the largest, drawing thousands each week. Today, however, China’s younger generation faces mounting challenges, demanding careers, inflation, and soaring property prices, leading to a declining interest in marriage. In 2024, the number of marriages fell by 17%, while the birth rate reached a record low. The government has attempted to encourage marriage and childbearing by offering financial incentives for families with multiple children, but the impact has been minimal. Hope Beneath The Umbrellas A January 2025 report observed that while young people increasingly value independence, their parents continue to wait, week after week, in the park, holding onto hope beneath their umbrellas.
