They chose spouses from a safe political class. Before, people didn't dare to find a lover, but now it's open season. They're making up for lost time. As recently as 20 years ago, China punished people who had affairs by demoting them, putting them through critique sessions by their factory colleagues and even jailing them. But no one thinks about that anymore, said Chen, the family researcher.
People are more demanding in emotional satisfaction.
Before, they had to worry about where the food will come from. Clients flip through binder after binder of photos and personal descriptions, claiming to be searching for a business partner or someone who shares the same hobby. The practice is beginning to worry the government, which earlier this year announced it is drafting a law to crack down on the agencies. Many couples in their late forties to early fifties married during the Cultural Revolution, when Mao sent young adults to work for years in the countryside. Not knowing when they could return to the cities, people married carelessly, choosing one of the few peers sent along with them or a farmer.