Nagging single relatives to get married occurs in most countries. In conservative China, though, the pressure is intense
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskThe holiday is a chance for parents, aunts, uncles—even distant cousins—to press their young relatives to get married. Such nagging occurs in most countries. In conservative peak every year at this time, according to data from Baidu, a search engine. Beleaguered 20- and 30-somethings are flooding social media with complaints.
Fewer marriages have meant fewer births. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China had 1.412bn people at the end of last year, down by 850,000 on the year before. It is the first time the population has declined since 1962, after millions died in a famine brought on by Mao Zedong’s “Great Leap Forward”. A shrinking, ageing population is bad for economic growth and will create a huge burden of care.
Parents don’t care for such excuses. Some singles have come home to find that a string of blind dates has been set up for them. Others providecountermeasures. One netizen suggested telling parents that it is tough to find a partner worthy of them. An article published two years ago in, a local newspaper, advised feigning deafness or going on the attack by interrogating aunts and uncles about their own children’s marital status.
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