China’s growing number of older singles are following the young and turning to online dating to find companionship
- Social attitudes about remarriage are changing in China, and society is more supportive of older people remarrying
- Unlike in the past, China’s elderly and middle-aged singles are turning to modern technology
Over two decades after his divorce, Wang Rulin, 62, decided it was time to give marriage another chance.
“We’ve been chatting happily online and are seeing each other after the Lunar New Year. She is nine years younger than me and has a good pension scheme. Of course, she is healthy,” he said.
Wang, who lives alone now because his grown son moved to a different city, found a digital matchmaker on the live-streaming app Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
Like Wang, an increasing number of ageing singles in China are turning to social media or television shows to look for someone with whom to spend the rest of their lives.
Richer, healthier and better-educated than their parents’ generation, these lonely seniors are searching for partners in more open ways as Chinese attitudes towards elderly love and sex transforms.
Wang found his prospective girlfriend via an account called Jiangxin Dates on Douyin, which has over 384,000 followers.
