Authorities in China's northern city of Luanzhou recently declared that they are building a large database into which unmarried men and women's personal information would be entered.

Due to the current Covid-19 outbreak, which has disrupted people's life, Luanzhou authorities informed Vice that matching events for government servants and workers at state-owned firms were being arranged, as well as blind dating sessions.

This year has already seen two group dating events, with a virtual dating party planned for New Year's Eve on Douyin, the original Chinese version of famous app TikTok. A representative of the local municipal administration stated in a statement posted on the Sino Weibo microblogging site this week that the goal is to "bring single men and women together through events, "according to a report by Vice.

Furthermore, by emphasising Luanzhou's favourable characteristics as a "youth-friendly city," "Authorities informed Vice that members of the public had requested a dating community.

Several Weibo users, on the other hand, expressed scepticism about the attempt. "It'll take a lot more to persuade modern China to return to the ancient ways." People are simply too satisfied with their lifestyles to make significant changes," one Vice user said. Others criticised the Chinese government's one-child policy, which saw the government severely punishing families that broke the restriction.

Meanwhile, China's gender disparity remains a major issue, with data released this year by the Chinese government revealing that the country has 35 million more single males than women. According to the Vice article, China's single population is expected to reach 90 million in the next five years.

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