‘Eating tender grass’: Spanish influencer, 25, gets taste of China matchmaking culture with marriage proposal from man, 50, in Shanghai park
- Young woman starts out having fun, is quickly astonished at approaches
- Foreign, domestic online reactions to Shanghai park spectacle differ wildly
The experience of a 25-year-old Spanish influencer when she visited a famous matchmaking spot in China has sparked heated online debate both on the mainland and overseas.
The influencer, who is known by her Chinese name Kejia, moved to China in 2019 to work at a language school and quickly developed a deep interest in Chinese culture.
During a recent visit to Shanghai, Kejia recorded what happened when she went to a renowned matchmaking corner in Shanghai’s People’s Park.
She shared the video on her TikTok account, which at the time of writing, had amassed more than 128,000 international followers.
In the video, Kejia and her friends walk through the park with “resumes” written on A4 paper which outline personal information and potential matches.
This led many Chinese parents to approach them, eagerly introducing their children.
One “resume” described a woman “born in 1994, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Trade, stands 1.72 metres tall, earns an annual salary of 200,000 yuan (US$28,000), and has a passion for musical instruments, notably having learned guzheng for over a year and a half.”
She was seeking a partner “born between 1993 and 1995, who stands taller than 1.72 metres, has a decent appearance, holds at least a Bachelor’s degree, and either owns property in Shanghai or is willing to jointly purchase a flat.”
While Kejia initially viewed the event as playful, joking with onlookers that she was there to “find a husband”, she quickly realised that matchmaking is a serious business in China.
“Many parents introduced their sons to me, detailing their preferences, properties, and occupations,” Kejia told reporters from the Zhejiang Daily Press Group.
She likened her experience to being in a supermarket, where parents displayed their “products”, or children, to prospective “buyers”.
A 50-year-old man proposed to her on-site, telling her he had a two million yuan fortune (US$280,000) and asking if that fulfilled her criteria.
Astonished at this approach, Kejia said: “I’m 25 and he’s 50 something. He’s old enough to be my father.”
Her video quickly captured the attention of TikTok users and rapidly amassed more than 3.5 million views, 300,000 likes, and more than 3,100 comments in just one day.
One intrigued international observer said: “If I can’t find someone in the end, I might consider going to China to give it a try.”
“I’m going to go to the local park and make myself a poster. What else can I do?” Said another.
However, online observers on the mainland saw things differently.
One person said: “Why do I feel like these people aren’t seeking marriage but rather selling vegetables?”
The 50-year-old’s proposal faced a particular backlash on mainland social media.
One person referred to a common Chinese expression and said: “Why do old cows always want to eat tender grass?”
“With just two million yuan, he wants to ‘eat’ tender foreign grass who is young enough to be his daughter. That amount of money isn’t even enough to buy two flats,” said another critic.
