How the marriage market works in China, where parents announce their children In a park in the heart of Shanghai, hundreds of sheets of paper stuck to umbrellas and murals reveal a custom that still persists in China: the marriage market. Every Sunday, parents gather at Praça do Povo to announce their single children and try to find an ideal partner for them. The ads work like real resumes. They provide information such as age, education, profession, annual income, assets, height and desired characteristics for a future partner. In many cases, the children themselves do not even participate in the search — it is the parents who take the initiative to publicize their profiles. Concern usually increases when children reach 30 years of age. According to a mother interviewed in the report, her daughter knows that she frequents the market and also wants to get married, but the final decision remains hers. How the marriage market works in China, where parents announce their children Reproduction/TV Globo Professional matchmakers The great demand has transformed the practice into a business. Today, there are agencies specialized in bringing couples together, with professionals who screen candidates and indicate possible matches. One matchmaker interviewed says she entered the business after finding her own husband through a newspaper advertisement, around 20 years ago. Now, she uses her experience to quickly evaluate the available profiles and identify which candidates are most likely to form a couple. Among the criteria considered most important by the older generation are financial stability, assets and income. In one of the advertisements presented, for example, the highlight is that the candidate's family has 40 million yuan in assets, while another emphasizes the monthly salary of an engineer. According to one of the matchmakers, unlike Brazil, where young people would prioritize freedom and happiness, in Shanghai financial stability still weighs heavily when choosing a partner. How the marriage market works in China, where parents announce their children Reproduction/TV Globo Applications have not replaced the market Although dating applications are also popular in China, agencies claim to offer a difference: they pre-select candidates and verify information to ensure more trust and authenticity in meetings. Even so, the sector feels the effects of changes in behavior among young people. The agency owner herself admits that demand has fallen in recent years, as many have started to prioritize a more independent and relaxed lifestyle, postponing or putting aside wedding plans. To engage with this new audience, companies in the sector have even started hiring younger professionals to produce content aimed at social media, in an attempt to bring together a generation that values ??affinity and personal fulfillment more than wealth or family pressure. How the marriage market works in China, where parents announce their children as single Reproduction/TV Globo GloboPop: click to see the videos from the Fantástico stage Listen to the Fantástico podcasts ISSO É FANTÁSTICO The Isso É Fantástico podcast is available on g1 and the main podcast apps, bringing great reports, investigations and fascinating stories on podcast with the Fantástico journalism seal: depth, context and information. Follow, like or subscribe to Isso É Fantástico on your favorite podcast player. Every Sunday there's a new episode.