‘You shouldn’t mind’: China matchmakers pressure man to date unmarried pregnant woman at singles event, shock onlookers

A matchmaking gathering in China faced criticism when two of the hosts coerced a man into dating a woman who was three months along in her pregnancy. Photo: Weibo

• Woman piques man's interest because she offers a dowry, no bride price
• But he is no longer interested when she reveals her pregnancy

Two hosts at a public matchmaking event in eastern China encouraged a man to partner with an unmarried woman who was three months pregnant, shocking onlookers and prompting significant backlash online.

The bizarre incident happened on May 2 at an "Auntie Wang's Matchmaking" event in Bozhou, Anhui province, after the woman had received interest from the man before revealing her pregnancy.

"Auntie Wang" events are a Chinese dating trend in which single people stand on a stage and publicly announce their eligibility resume, hoping to spark interest from another person in the audience for a potential future date.

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According to the video circulated online, the woman, who remained unidentified, said her family does not demand a bride price and that the family would return any such payment from the groom's side.

She also mentioned that her family owns an apartment in Nanjing in eastern Jiangsu province that they intended to use as a dowry.

When the woman nearly matched with a man, who was also not identified, she decided to reveal her pregnancy.

"I made a mistake recently that I must openly acknowledge because it's part of my past - I am three months pregnant."

The male host then asked the man: "Can you accept her being three months pregnant?"

The man responded, "No", to which the male host retorted: "You can't accept it? If you can accept a divorcee without children, why can't you accept a woman with a three-month pregnancy?"

It is not known if the man had previously said he did not mind a divorced woman.

The female host also chimed in, adding: "You're a man, and a man should first and foremost be responsible, embracing the duties of a father. Regardless of whose child it is, doesn't every man have that responsibility?"

Following the viral video, public comments overwhelmingly expressed outrage at the hosts' remarks.

One person commented: "The hosts must be insane."

Another asked: "Shouldn't the man who got her pregnant be the one to take responsibility for the child?"

Some people even speculated that the woman's participation might have been staged to boost attention for the event.

"Even if it was staged, the behaviour was unacceptable. What kind of values do they have?" said one person online.

In response to the online backlash, the staff that organised the event doubled down on their viewpoint, saying that if a man likes a woman, he should take responsibility for her well-being.

The public "Auntie Wang" matchmaking trend emerged from an event at a tourist site in Kaifeng, Henan in central China, which trended in March.

Host Zhao Mei, the matchmaker and original portrayer of "Auntie Wang", wore a long green skirt with a bright red flower on her head and guided participants to boldly share their dating preferences on stage, encouraging interested people to step forward.

The popularity of the idea prompted many companies and individuals to imitate the "Auntie Wang" matchmaking event.

Amidst the public outrage, Zhao also responded, saying: "As a host, they were talking nonsense. How can they say such things?"

"Moreover, I don't want to blame this young woman, but what is she showing off? Whose family would want their daughter to publicly announce being unmarried and pregnant?" she added.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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