Illustrations: Chen Xia/GT

Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) holiday, an annual peak period for parents to arrange blind dates for their single adult children, is once again approaching.

Blind dates, a somewhat outdated method of seeking spouses, is disliked by many singletons in China. To escape such dates, some children even choose to avoid going home during Spring Festival, which traditionally is a time for family reunions.

Embracing the naive belief that "love can never be arranged," I myself was once among the group who hated parent-arranged matchmaking. During China's Spring Festival holiday in 2017, my parents forced me to attend a blind date they had planned. I was so sad and angry that I offensively grumbled to their faces, "I feel as if I'm on the way to my own funeral."

Nonetheless, the guy I met on that blind date impressed me by his manners and etiquette. He turned out to be a very kind and honest person and we continued to stay in touch the following year. A result of this natural chemistry and mutual attraction was that we eventually became a couple.

Parent-arranged blind dates usually bind financially matched (as opposed to romantically interested) people together, but really there's nothing wrong with that. Many young Chinese adults believe that love and finances should be separate when it comes to finding your soul mate, but in my opinion that is ridiculous and impractical.

If you were a wealthy older lady who planned to elope with a poor boy toy, I would applaud for your courage. But since you are still single, there is definitely no need to avoid a possible romantic relationship with someone who financially matches you.

Also, blind dates arranged by parents are far safer for females than going out to bars or nightclubs to chat up guys. Two years ago, I came across a man at a party who seemed gentle and polite. Surprisingly, after we added each other's WeChat, he constantly sent me harassing messages with strong sexual connotations.

My current boyfriend, and pretty much every other guy who I have met through blind dates, have all behaved well and never pressured me into sex. With the help of my relatives or friends who selected and vetted my blind dates in advance, I usually do not have to worry about them being perverts or psychopaths.

Another advantage is that blind-date guys have, to some extent, already been accepted by your family. Last week, a friend told me that he was considering bringing his girlfriend home during the upcoming New Year holiday. "But I'm very anxious," he said. "I'm not sure whether my parents will like her or not. What if they don't approve of our marriage?"

In comparison, when I told my mother on the phone that I plan to visit my boyfriend's hometown during the upcoming holiday, her response was simply "have a good time!" Obviously, she already knows this man; she spoke with his family before introducing us.

But the crucial question is, can we women really find true love through blind dating? The answer, I believe, is yes. Setting my own experiences aside, two female Chinese coworkers who have gotten married over the past two years also met their husbands on blind dates.

And they have very close relationships with these men. "We were smitten with each other," recalled one colleague, who recently gave birth to her first baby.

On a broader scale, matchmaking does help many Chinese singletons find soul mates. A 2015 survey showed that, in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, 65.5 percent of all young adults there met their partners through blind dates, according to local media.

Even in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai, 58.7 percent and 57.5 percent (respectively) of young adults found their spouses through matchmaking.

Ultimately, based on my personal story as well as nationwide statistics, I suggest any single Chinese who happen to read this consider matchmaking services or a parent-arranged blind date. You have nothing to lose and perhaps a lot to gain!

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Global Times.