BEIJING, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- November 11, or "Singles' Day" in China, is a big day for China's millions of single men and women eager to end their single status.
But the special festival, which gains popularity as the four "ones" in the date resemble four "bare sticks", meaning unattached in Chinese, seems to bring bitterness to many married couples who live apart: they may have tied the knot, but still have to live like single people.
Twenty-seven-year-old Chen Zhengming married his college schoolmate Liu Hui last year, but the young couple have to live a separated life.
Working with an IT company in Beijing, Chen rents an apartment with three other collegues while his wife lives in the dorm provided by her company. The couple see it a way to save money for their future house purchase.
"Our combined monthly salary is no more than 8,000 yuan (1,280 U.S. dollars) and we spend about 3,000 yuan on necessities and keep wiring money to our families. We can't afford to rent an apartment if we want to buy our own house," Liu said.
But their marriage without cohabitation has proved difficult due to a lack of interaction.
"We usually meet on weekends, but sometimes we could not see each other for half a month due to overtime work," Liu said.
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