SHANGHAI: The results of a recent survey showed that the majority of the white-collar workers polled who had attended large-scale matchmaking parties came away with bad impressions of such events.

More than 60 percent of the 250 valid respondents to the survey by Shanghai Happy Life Consultancy Co Ltd said they did not like the large-scale matchmaking parties they had attended and would not be going to any more of them.

Leng Li, the manager of Shanghai Happy Life Consultancy, a matchmaking agency, told China Daily that of the people who were dissatisfied with the parties, women tended to be more dissatisfied.

Leng and her assistants sent survey questionnaires to hundreds of members registered with her company for matchmaking services.

"I screened out irrelevant responses, so the survey results are based on the 250 valid questionnaires from my members," she said. "As far as I know, there were at least three such large-scale match-making events in Shanghai."

One respondent, surnamed Yao, wrote in her questionnaire that she had attended a 1,000-couple match-making party and ended up feeling like leftovers from a dinner.

"It is very natural for Miss Yao to feel that way because the normal ratio of male to female participants in such parties is more than 3 to 7," Leng said.

She added it is difficult for the organizers of such events to control the gender balance of the participants. And they have a hard time verifying the identities of the participants.

In the world of professional matchmaking, background checks can be crucial. A male member of Leng's agency, surnamed Li, said he had met his dream lover at one of the large-scale events.

"However, Li, who was single, found out that his lover was actually a divorced mother with a son. Li's heart was broken by lies," said Leng.

Leng said that although many white-collar workers have excellent jobs and decent incomes, they have little time to get to know new people, which can add stress to their lives.

"My friends and I set up our company for this very reason. I hope more forces in Shanghai team up to help single white-collar workers find their better halves," she said.

(China Daily 01/30/2007 page5)