The supermarket opened in November 2009 in time for China´s "Singles Day" which is marked on November 11, a date which consists of four ones.

In their few months of operation, the market has attracted more than 1,000 clients and successfully matched over 50 couples.

It only costs 20 yuan (3 USD) to register and is a hit among bachelors and bachelorettes from all walks of life who say it is a safe alternative to Internet dating because the participants go through a consultation session before their profiles are displayed for prospective partners to see.

Profiles state names, age, occupation, income and come with an attractive picture which will catch the eye of the perfect mate.

While many customers may be in the mood for love, school and work demands often prevent them from having an opportunity to find a mate.

And while Chinese women in the cities may not have enough time to look for boyfriends, men have more to worry about.

More than 24 million Chinese men of marrying age could find themselves without spouses in 2020, state media has reported, citing a study that blamed sex-selective abortions as a major factor.


The study, conducted by the government-backed Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, named the gender imbalance among newborns as the most serious demographic problem faced by the country´s 1.3 billion population.


A traditional preference for boys, exacerbated by China´s one-child policy, means many expectant parents are willing to pay for illegal ultrasound checks to determine the sex of their baby, and abort a female foetus.