Both buyers and sellers have been busy preparing for Singles' Day, one of the biggest days on the Chinese online retail calendar. Falling on November 11, the day is popular among young Chinese who celebrate being a bachelor or bachelorette.

'Group-buying' a free dating trip to Vietnam

A Chinese group-buying website has launched a lottery program whereby male winners will receive a free trip to Vietnam to find a wife.

The lottery program has attracted more than 20,000 participants as of November 10. As costs for getting married in China increase, many Chinese bachelors have resorted to marrying Vietnamese women amid the belief that they have lower expectations of their husband's financial situation compared to Chinese women.

"I have heard that Vietnamese women can speak a little Chinese and are loyal to their husbands and families. It is said that marrying a Vietnamese woman costs little because they do not demand houses or cars from their husbands. Only a banquet at home is necessary," Shenzhen Evening News quoted Wang, a Chinese bachelor open to marrying a Vietnamese woman, as saying.

Some group-buying websites have even touted "tourism" services that include matchmaking events in Vietnam, translation of marriage documents, handling of various migration procedures and even Chinese-language courses for Vietnamese brides.

According to China's civil affairs authorities, it is illegal for any organizations or individuals to profit from matchmaking activities involving foreign nationals. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a warning on its website on November 9 saying that Chinese citizens should be cautious about participating in such dating trips abroad.

FM cautions against online 'matchmakers'

Man caught surfing net for coupons while driving on highway

A motorist busted by highway police using his laptop while driving has had his driver's license revoked and been fined 300 yuan ($49) in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province.

The 27-year-old motorist, surnamed Ma, was pulled over at the Zhewan toll station for driving with an obscured license plate on November 8, xinhuanet.com reported. Police then found Ma had been driving while using a laptop perched on his lap.

Ma, a native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, said he was rushing to Anhui Province for a business meeting when his wife had urged him to register for coupons from a shopping website.

"My wife has called me frequently over the past few days, asking me to get online coupons for her. When I told her I had to go on a business trip today, she borrowed a wireless card for my laptop," said Ma.

Ma was fined and had his driver's license revoked on the spot. Police arranged an alternative ride for him to attend his business engagements.

Husband seizes bank cards from wife to curb online shopping spree

A man has confiscated debit and credit cards from his wife ahead of Singles' Day on November 11 to prevent her going on an online shopping spree.

The husband, a white-collar employee surnamed Zhang, said his wife's obsession with online shopping goes into overdrive during online sales promotions. Singles' Day results in a retail boom as vendors seek to cash in on the shopping extravaganza.

"My wife spent 23,000 yuan ($3,777) on online shopping on November 11 last year. She even bought three boxes of facial masks that are still unopened," complained Zhang to the Changchun-based City Evening News.

Zhang said that his wife had been eyeing online sales promotions since the beginning of November, and had earmarked various items on her shopping list.

After repeated attempts to talk his wife out of shopping failed, Zhang resorted to seizing all debit and credit cards to prevent their bank balance going into single digits after Singles' Day this year.