文化 | 英文版《你好中国》100集选（41-42)

2019暑假已至！本号试图利用假期时间，每天分享Hello China 英文版《你好，中国》，每期2集，从不同角度用英语阐释中华文化。为英语，尤其是高中英语学习中华文化铺路。

需要说明的是Hello China 英文版《你好，中国》是由中国国家广电总局主办、中国国际广播电台、高等教育出版社联合策划实施的大型多媒体系列文化项目。本分享视频来自腾讯视频，版权归原作者所有。本分享旨在学生英语学习。

《你好，中国》选取了100个代表中国传统文化精髓的汉语词汇，从不同侧面反映中国文化的博大精深，加深国外民众对中国和中华文化的了解。

41 Chinese wedding customs

42 Matchmaker 

In Chinese, the word xiangqin — commonly translated as “matchmaking” — is rich in cultural significance. It refers to single men and women who, having been introduced by a third party, get to know one another to decide if they are romantically compatible.

In ancient China, matchmaking was an essential ritual. This is because engagements and marriages at the time were essentially group discussions that took into account the reputations of the bride’s and groom’s parents, the opinions of professional matchmakers, and the social relationship between two households. The wishes of individuals often played second fiddle to family concerns. While attitudes toward love and marriage have become freer since the early 20th century, matchmaking has continued to exist to this day.

Matchmaking is, of course, not exclusive to China: It has existed in different forms all across the globe. In 16th-century Europe, imperial families would choose their marital partners with the aid of portraits. In Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” single young people make each other’s acquaintance through elaborate organized dances. And how many of us today use online dating, watch matchmaking TV shows, or attend speed-dating events?

Every weekend, ad hoc matchmaking corners in China’s urban parks throng with groups of middle-aged and elderly parents brandishing cardboard advertisements displaying their children’s age, income, property portfolio, and hukou — the household registration card that permits them to reside in a certain part of the country. The older generation still aims to help their children find life partners.

Matchmaking not only concerns Chinese young people, but also makes parents feel anxious. Such a phenomenon is unlikely to occur in developed Western nations, where the elderly tend to spend retirement in a more leisurely manner, instead of interfering in the personal affairs of their children. In China, you find the opposite to be the case.

It is becoming increasingly evident that Chinese society has failed to adequately prepare for its own rapidly aging population. Public services rarely cater to the needs of the elderly, and many retired Chinese become marginal members of society. In this context, elderly Chinese men and women have turned to matchmaking. Of course, they are in part motivated by a desire to find a partner for their children. However, studies have shown that these matchmaking corners have a success rate of less than 1 percent.

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