介绍:
Xiaohua: Sometimes, smart phones don't make our life easier, but just harder. A recent case is the newly developed matchmaking apps for the parents who want to “help” their kids get married. Some net users call it the meanest app ever. 两款针对“婚龄”男女父母使用APP悄然走红。有网友直言，这是“年度缺德APP”。So how does these apps enable parents to help, or get in the way?
Beibei: I think this is a very interesting topic. Let's check it out. So one of the applications is called People's Square Matchmaking, 人民广场相亲角，and the app was developed last year 2014, and it's slogan is “a free dating social network app for parents to use”. I think we are familiar with these online dating sites, which are popular both here or in the US, but it is the first time that I heard here's an app for parents to use. The name is borrowed from the People’s Park in Shanghai, which has a well-known matchmaking corner that’s crowded by parents over the weekends. And they will make a board with their kid’s photo and personal information on it for other parents to check out and maybe you know leave contact information for them to reach you.
John: Yeah, I think we shouldn't overstate their role just now. There’re still lots of complaints about the people's square matchmaking that the application itself crashes a lot, and there's a lot of false information on there, so I'm kind of do question whether it's an actual viable solution for parents. And I also question whether or not you know the parents of a certain age would even be capable of using a smartphone to the degree of using an application.
Xiaohua: Oh, don't undervalue the capabilities of eager, anxious parents. They can do anything.
John: Are you sure?
Beibei: They might just buy a smart phone for the applications. Seriously, like this is a typical case that in Chinese we say "皇上不急太监急". Usually the kids they are ok, I mean they are still having fun. It's the parents somehow they are so anxious for their kids to get married. You know Chinese parents don't want to kick their kids out of the house but at the same time, they want them to get married and start having babies right away.
John: I don't know, I'm just thinking of my parents-in-law. They don’t even have Internet connection in their house. They have smart phones but they only know how to use it like a phone. So again, I just have some questions about the customer-base, the user-base for this application.
Xiaohua: That's because their child is happily married to you so they do not need to use all these apps.
John: No. But that's what I'm saying. Even if their daughter wasn't happily married, even if their daughter was still searching for a husband or whatever, I have honestly doubts about their knowledge and/or ability to use to this type of applications in the first place.
Beibei: You will be surprised at their potential. They'll do anything for their kids. They will do anything to make their kids marriageable.
Xiaohua: Exactly, but it's interesting when we check out these two apps there's a little bit difference so one is Beibei was saying it was developed from this meet and greet whatever 相亲角，matchmaking corner. And another was sort of fashioned after the dating apps, social networking apps that can match people who are nearby, who have a similar interest, or who have kids of similar interests.
Beibei: Is that the shake-shake, see if there’re potential husbands available?
Xiaohua: Yeah, exactly. Both these apps seem pretty temporary. There just first being developed and there’re quite a few questions but it just amazes me that whenever there is demand, you know supply is about to follow. There's always people who can service your need. And here's need is to make your kid to get married.
Beibei: Chinese people are very creative. Well a little bit more about these apps. The other one is called Qingjia, parents-in-laws. And this app is location-based service. Parents can find users nearby or change the location to the cities where their kids actual live to find suitable people there.
Xiaohua: But do you think these apps will help these eager parents get what they want?
Beibei: I don't think so, they're just doing what they think are helping.
John: I think it doesn't really solve many of the cultural problems. It just makes the technical problems much easier, you know finding someone who I think is suitable for my child, but it does not change the fact of whether or not my child agrees to me finding. So I think that it's actually really really interesting in the dating and marriage market here in China because for quite a while there has been a bit of backlash against arrange-marriage, so you know I'm never gonna let my parents help me find someone, that's antiquated old ways of thinking you know that China need to get rid of this kind of stuff. But I think now the pendulant is swinging in the other direction that a lot of white-collar workers who are living and working in big cities away from home, well, they don't have time to date, they don't have time to meet people to go out. They’re just too busy working or doing whatever and they actually welcome their parents to help them find a suitable match.
Beibei: Like you filter these for me and I will go see these people, finalists.
John: Yes, exactly.
Xiaohua: They realize that even if it’s not ideal but it might be the most practical solution to the problem.
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