In recent years, “virtual lovers” have become a choice among single adults for company and consolation. This new trend reflects a fear of engaging in an intimate relationship, according to Shen Yifei, an associate professor with Shanghai’s Fudan University.

Do Chinese youths yearn for love? A survey has found that they adopt both open and conservative attitudes toward courtship and marriage.

A newly-married couple attends a group wedding ceremony in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, June 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

A bachelor surnamed Hao, who was born in the 1990s, said the chance for him to meet his ideal other half is slim, and it is almost impossible for him to get married within the age limit set by his parents.

A survey by Fudan University has discovered that more than 70 percent of the young people think that marriage is no longer a necessity.

Such attitudes have led to a drop in the marriage rate, with official statistics indicating that the marriage rate in China has been declining since 2013. Only 6.6 people out of every 1,000 got married in 2019.

Why would young people rather stay single than get married?

Shen explained that young people nowadays pay more attention to their individual interests, and marriage is no longer a must for them to live a better life and find happiness.

An important reason for young people choosing not to get married is the huge pressure they may face that comes along with marriage, such as providing better care and education for their children, and buying a house before marriage, said a psychological observer.

Instead of letting those things reduce their life quality, young people would rather stay single.

Another group of young people have a high degree of acceptance to the traditional blind date. Many surveyed respondents said they had been on a blind date. “I met my wife on a blind date and now we are happy together,” said a man surnamed Hou.

However, young people have their standards on choosing a life partner. According to a survey report on the social attitudes and social relations of people born after 1995, in choosing a spouse young people care most about the personalities and traits of each other, and least about whether the one they are going to start a relationship with comes from a family with equal status as theirs.

“Our parents are friends, and they thought we were meant for each other, but it just didn’t work,” said a man born after 1995 with the pseudonym of Xiao Jie, referring to a girl he had dated.

For some people they are more likely to start a relationship with someone with similar life experience, for example graduates from China's elite universities tend to find a spouse among their academic equals.