"My parents worry that their only son might end up to be a bachelor for life and relatives simply enjoy nosing into others' private lives," wrote one male netizen. "As a result, I live like a zoo animal, being watched and commented on by different people every day."
Wang Zheli, 36, gained overnight fame this week after his dating experience was covered by a metropolitan newspaper in east China's Zhejiang province.
Wang, who runs a Chinese restaurant in Italy and remains single, had arranged to meet 18 girls in 20 days.
His dates included teachers, nurses, government employees and private businessowners like himself, while their date locations ranged from cafes, restaurants and theaters to temple fairs, or crowded Spring Festival gatherings that feature acrobatic shows, song and dance performance and stalls selling snacks and souvenirs.
Though not every lonely heart is as busy as Wang, they all feel the pressure. An online poll conducted by Baihe.com, China's largest matchmaking service, found that more than 80 percent of respondents under the age of 33 felt pressure regarding love and marriage, saying they felt guilty for being unable to find love.
As the pressure mounts, some even rent a boyfriend or girlfriend to accompany them home in order to make their parents happy. Such "rent-a-date" services have been popular on Taobao.com, China's largest online shopping website, for at least the last two years.
Two weeks into her homecoming holiday in east China's Jiangsu province, Wang Hui, a white-collar worker at a foreign-invested firm in Beijing, has found herself at the center of every conversation in her extended family of at least 40 people.
"Fortunately, my parents didn't arrange any dates for me. But it's still uncomfortable when everyone asks the same question, 'Are you getting married yet?'"
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