China’s Union Organizers - Mark Magnier
The middle-aged men and women gather in small clumps around the pavilion in Zhongshan Park like molecules in motion, drawn together by the magnetic force of their placards and photos, the odd smile, a flirtatious nod that hints at fading charms.
“Graduate degree, 5 feet, 2 inches tall with a Beijing residency permit,” says a fiftysomething woman. “I’m sorry, I’m looking for someone who’s 5 feet, 6 inches,” a man about the same age responds before walking off.
These earnest hunters aren’t in search of soul mates for themselves. They’re looking for husbands and wives for their grown children, most of whom have no idea they’re here. In fact, many would blanch at meeting anyone their parents recommended.
