It could be a missing persons wall set up after a natural disaster or even some kind of art installation.

But these rows upon rows of flyers are actually part of a marriage market where Chinese parents come to find prospective husbands and wives for their children.

Every Saturday and Sunday between noon and 5pm, regardless of the weather, the People’s Park in Shanghai is crowded with mothers and fathers studying the Lonely Hearts messages that adorn the grounds.

On the walls of the avenues, on trees and on washing lines, hundreds of resumes are hung by parents often without the knowledge of their children.

On them they reveal the vital statistics of their offspring, including their height, age, income, education, Chinese zodiac sign and whether they own a car or an apartment.

The parents walk around chatting with other parents to see if there is a match only after their children’s standards are met.

Shanghai marriage market is like online dating in a non-virtual setting.

Although the right to choose your own spouse has long been established in China, Chinese parents still feel the need to try and set their children up because they feel that their children are either too busy or are not actively looking.

The Shanghai marriage market is just one of several such open-sky marriage markets in China and despite the thousands of parents that visit the market over a weekend, success rate remains low.

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