The Communist Youth League will help you find love – China’s latest society and culture news

The Zhejiang provincial branch of the Communist Youth League is planning to set up a “marriage and dating” division in June to help single young people find a mate, according to Qianjiang Evening News (in Chinese). More than 20 matchmaking activity centers will be built across the province to serve that end.

According to Wang Huilin 王慧琳, deputy secretary of the provincial Youth League, the goal of the new department is to “solve dating needs of single men and women, construct a platform where young people can meet each other, create a database of singles, and organize dating activities under the guidance of staff from the division.” Wang also stated that dating and marriage have become the most pressing problems to solve for the youth now because of geographical barriers, the accelerated pace of work, and shrinking social circles.

The national Communist Youth League has previously sent out signals in recent years that guiding singles into marriage is a pressing matter. On May 17, He Junke 贺军科, one of the top officials in the Youth League, said in a press conference that “getting married is the biggest problem for young people.” However, the news triggered outrage from some internet users. One of the most upvoted comments on Weibo reads (in Chinese), “Whether I marry or not is none of your business.”

— The above is drawn from our weekly WeiWatch, a roundup of trending topics on Chinese social media.

• Behind the rise and fade of China’s literary sensation Fan Yusu / What’s on Weibo
  “Beijing migrant worker Fan Yusu became an overnight sensation when her autobiographical essay ‘I Am Fan Yusu’ went viral on Chinese social media in late April 2017. The author has since gone into hiding and her essay has been removed.”
• China’s prince of ping-pong suspended amid casino dispute / Caixin
  “A debt racked up at a Singapore casino has called a timeout on the career of Chinese ping-pong hero Kong Linghui 孔令辉, the current chief coach of the national women’s table tennis team.”
• China’s female athletes winning in competition but losing fame game / ESPN
  “Chinese female athletes appear to be continually underrated and underappreciated compared to their male counterparts.”
• Manchu, once China’s official language, could lose its voice / Sixth Tone
  “With few practical incentives to preserve their language, 10 million Manchus have found their mother tongue in a critical state.”
• How to destroy the heart of a Chinese city / Foreign Policy
  “Beijing is wrecking migrants’ shops and lives—and the capital’s spirit with them.”
• Keeping their heads down: The daily struggle of life as a Beijing rickshaw driver / SCMP