Shanghai Love

14 Aug 2010 - It is almost Chinese Valentine (16 AUG) and love is on peoples' minds. However, in recent years it has become increasingly difficult for Chinese youngsters to find their match. In Shanghai they developed the A-B-C-D system. Everybody wants to be an A, because they offer the complete package: a good background and education, a solid career and the right (for women read child-bearing) age. But the perfect As are difficult to find, so many As end up looking for Bs, those with a regular job and a bachelors degree. Of course the Bs are very happy to marry an A and move up, so Bs increasingly refuse to marry their fellow Bs. This is where the Cs - and possibly even the Ds - come in, but many parents will refuse their B children to marry a C or a lower. The Cs can of course marry their fellow Cs (or Ds), but why wouldn't they be more ambitious and aim for a B? So the credo is not to marry your C today, but wait for Mr. or Mrs. B, who may knock on the door tomorrow. And what about the Ds? Well, nobody wants to marry a D. Does this sound confusing? Well, let's just conclude something is seriously wrong when love becomes like mathematics.