南京的一場為外來務(wù)工者舉辦的百人集體婚禮上,新娘排成一隊。
(CNN)Valentine's Day is big currency in China, a nation obsessed with love, romance anddating.
對于沉迷于愛情、浪漫和約會的中國人來說,情人節(jié)成為了中國的一項大通貨。
In fact, the Chinese are so committed to the day they celebrate it twice. There's qixi,China'sequivalent to Valentine's Day, which takes place in August, as well asthe global version comingup on Saturday. Both are embraced with gusto bycouples across the country.
事實上,中國人對情人節(jié)相當(dāng)鐘情,以至于一年慶祝兩次。每年八月,他們既有相當(dāng)于西方的情人節(jié)的七夕節(jié),也要過馬上要來的世界版的情人節(jié)。全國上下的情侶們兩個節(jié)日都會滿懷熱情的慶祝。
In the spirit ofthe season, we've put together a tongue-in-cheek guide to getting a date inChina that also aims to shed a little light on the pursuit of love in theMiddle Kingdom.
時值春日,我們逗比一下教您在中國怎么搞對象!同時也向您揭示在中國如何追求愛。
1)Head to a park.They're a real-life Tinder
去公園,那有現(xiàn)實版"Tinder"(美國版陌陌)
Where to meet your match...and your in-laws.
找到你未來的真愛又能見你的未來岳父岳母的地方
Every weekend in China a strange, albeit charming, ritual takes place -- the parents of China'ssingles frequent their local park in order tomatch make on behalf of their children. They bedeckthe park's trees with theiroffspring's college photos and sheets of paper listing their keydatingcharacteristics. Why not visit your local stretch of green this Saturday then?It's theperfect way to kill two birds with one stone -- meet your future loveand your future in-laws.
在中國,每個周末一場奇怪但迷人的儀式就會舉行。中國單身男女的父母們常去當(dāng)?shù)氐墓珗@,代表他們的孩子們?nèi)ハ嘤H。他們在公園的樹上掛上子女的大學(xué)照片和應(yīng)約標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。所以情人節(jié)為啥不去公園轉(zhuǎn)轉(zhuǎn)呢?簡直是個一石二鳥的好辦法——既能找到你未來的真愛又能見你的未來岳父岳母。
2)If you're fromBeijing, work it
如果你來自北京,那就太好了!
A Beijing residence permit is worth megabucks inChina's love market.
中國的愛情市場里一個北京戶口價值不菲
Remember that1990s film "Green Card" starring Andie MacDowell and GerardDepardieu? It didraise one key dating point -- passports and permits matter.Nowhere else is this more so than inChina, where one of the top assets peoplelook for in a lover (after the oft-cited house and car)is whether they have apermit to the city they wish to live in. The hukou, asit is known, is tied toa host of social benefits. With it, yourlife is easy. Without it, not so much. If you happen tohave a hukou thatallows you to live in one of China's premier cities, be sure to let lots ofsinglesaround you know.
還記得一部九十年代的電影《綠卡》嗎?它確實提出了搞對象的一個關(guān)鍵問題——護(hù)照和許可很重要。沒有其他地方比中國更符合這點了,是否有理想居住地的許可證是除了房子和車子以外,人們在找對象的時候最看重的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)了,在中國這個叫做"戶口",和許多的社會福利相關(guān)。有了它,生活就很容易,沒有它,就大大不便。如果你剛好有一個中國大城市的戶口,一定要讓你身邊的單身們知道。
3) Parents are auseful resource. They mighteven join on a date
父母是有用的資源,他們甚至可能參加你的約會。
As if first dates aren't awkward enough already.
就好像第一次約會本來就不夠?qū)擂问堑摹?/p>
The family remains the cornerstone of Chinese life -- and love. Therefore, it stands toreasonthat parents/siblings/aunts/uncles/pets are very involved in everyone'sdating destiny. When notfound in a park trying to "pimp" people out,they will be gossiping with neighbors, friends andco-workers about saidperson's single status and how to change it. You can fight this centuries-oldtradition or you can embrace it. The major catch? They might joinyou on a date. It's notuncommon for relatives to chaperonetheir children on romantic soirees in China.
家庭是中國人生活的基石,也是愛的。所以,理所當(dāng)然的父母/兄弟姐妹/阿姨/叔叔/甚至寵物都會非常影響每個人相親的命運。如果在公園里一無所獲,沒把人推銷出去,他們就會和鄰居們、朋友們、同事們談?wù)撃愕膯紊頎顟B(tài)和如何能改變。你可以和這種悠久的傳統(tǒng)抗?fàn)?或者你也可以擁抱它。最關(guān)鍵的一擊?他們可能參加你的相親。在中國,親戚們陪著他們的孩子去一個浪漫的聚會,去幫他們把關(guān)一點也不稀奇。
4) If you're asingle female, head to thecountryside!
如果你是單身女性,去農(nóng)村吧!
There are entire villages full of bachelors.
整個村都是單身漢。
You've probably heard that China has more menthan women (118 boys to 100 girls, to be precise).Then there's the commoncliché that Chinese women"marry up" and Chinese men "marrydown." Theresult is that supposedly "second-rate" men arebeingleft out of the dating world altogether. These guang gun(barebranches), as they havekindly been named, typically reside in the countryside.Alpha males, by contrast, make their wayto the city. The silver lining (ifyou're female, that is)? There are now entire villages full ofRomeos waitingfor their Juliets.
你可能已經(jīng)聽說了中國男人比女人多(118個男孩對應(yīng)100個女孩)。中國有句老話叫女人高嫁,男人低娶。結(jié)果就是所謂的"次等男人"被拋棄在約會世界之外。這些光棍們,基本上住在農(nóng)村。與之相反,精英男人一般都去了城市。單身的姑娘,是不是看到了一線曙光?有一整個村子的羅密歐都在等著他們的朱麗葉呢。
5) If you're asingle man, head to the cities!
如果你是單身男性,去城市吧!
Go forth and multiply
出去繁衍后代!
Following onfrom the above point, China's alpha females reputedly struggle in love. Ifthey'resingle and over 27, they're derided as sheng nu -- leftover.Ifthey have a PhD, they're not evenregarded as a true woman. Instead, they go bythe putdown "third gender." If you see throughthese labels and thepropaganda surrounding them, you'll appreciate that China's cities are fullofsome of the most savvy, intelligent and interesting women on the planet.
跟著上面那條,中國的精英女性據(jù)說都在為愛掙扎。如果她們超過27了并且還是單身,她們就會被嘲笑作"剩女"。如果她們剛好是女博士,她們甚至不會被看做真正的女人,而被看成第三性別。如果你能識破這些標(biāo)簽和圍繞它們的說法,你會發(fā)現(xiàn)中國的城市里充滿了這個星球上最聰慧、巧思、和風(fēng)趣的女人。
6) Go online!
上網(wǎng)!
People aren't just surfing the net for pictures of Grumpy Cat.
人們上網(wǎng)可不單單只會搜"不爽貓"的圖片。
By the end of 2014, 649million Chinese were registered as online. Plenty see theInternet aslove-line number one. China now has the largest number of onlinedaters. The nation's singlescan peruse a buffet of sites, from those thatpromise to find you the one, to others that aremore wired towards one-nighters(although the trend is much more towards the former thanthe latter).
2014年末,中國的網(wǎng)民數(shù)達(dá)到了6.49億。許多人將網(wǎng)絡(luò)看作是第一情感熱線。中國現(xiàn)在擁有數(shù)量最多的在線約會人數(shù),這個國家的單身男女們可以在承諾幫你找對象的交友網(wǎng)站上像選自助餐一樣點選,對于其他人來說,也可以找到one-nighters(自行百度)。(用于前者的趨勢還是大于后者)。
7) Rent a boyfriend/girlfriend! Yep, you can dothat online too
租個男票/女票!沒錯,網(wǎng)上也能辦到。
Happy dating.
開心的約會
The pressure towed has become so extreme in China that an entire industry has sprung uparoundfaux dating. Take a tour of Taobao, China's most popular online marketplace,and vyingfor your attention against countless cyber flower stalls and jewelrybrands that emerge forValentine's Day are the stores that offer something moreunusual -- fake partners.For a price,your fake boyfriend/girlfriend will accompany you back to yourparents, to the cinema, todinner, anywhere you want really. They'll play thepart in every way except going all the way.
在中國,結(jié)婚的壓力變得非常大,因此一整條關(guān)于假相親的行業(yè)也隨之活躍起來。上淘寶看看,情人節(jié)的時候在數(shù)不清的網(wǎng)絡(luò)花店、珠寶店中爭奪你注意的就是租假伴侶的商店。只要付一定價錢,你的假男友/女友就會陪你回家看父母、看電影、吃晚餐,去任何你想去的地方。他們可以用盡各種方式盡職盡責(zé),除了陪你一直走下去。
8) If you stillfeel unsure, call up a love guru
如果你還是不確定,打給愛情大師。
Still without a date? Maybe it is you, not them.
還是沒有約會?可能是你自己的問題。
Do not despair-- there are now love gurus in China, who, taking their cue from AmericanTVshow "The Game," will offer men advice on how to successfully chat upwomen. Walk slightlyin front and to the side of the person you wish to court-- that's just one tip taught in theseclasses. Other jewels include dressingbetter and spending less on the object of your affection(yes, you read thatcorrectly).
不要絕望——中國現(xiàn)在也有愛情大師了。受美國電視節(jié)目《The Game》的啟發(fā),這些人會教男人們?nèi)绾胃舜钣槨]p輕走向前,走到你心儀的對象前——這只是課程里面的一小條。其他寶典包括穿著更得體,別在心儀的對象身上花太多錢(是的你沒看錯)。