"MY name is Chen Dan. I'm a piano teacher. I hope to find a man who can protect me, love me, and deserve my lifetime love," said a beautiful young lady at a singles' party in Happy Valley on Sunday (Apr 16).

Chen was among 2,400 Shenzheners looking for true love at the annual singles' party organized by Shenzhen Women's Federation and the Shenzhen-based magazine Women.

The women's federation mobilized big companies like China Mobile and Foxconn to take part in the party, the fourth one it held in four years. Most of the participants were young white-collar workers who, despite a college degree and a sound income, have not found a soul mate in the city of migrants.

A clear sign of the city's gender imbalance, the number of female participants was 1.8 times greater than their male counterparts.

Although there are no official statistics on the ratio of single men to single women in Shenzhen, it is widely believed that women in the city, counting migrant workers on assembly lines, outnumber a man seven to one, said Yang Xiaohua, with the municipal women's federation.

But that does not mean it is easy for men to find a good woman. "There are many women in Shenzhen, but I have little spare time and few channels to get to know good girls," said Zhu Shouli, 28, from Foxconn. In Shenzhen since getting his master's degree in 2003, Zhu felt it a pity that he did not catch a girl in college. "I spent too much time studying," said Zhu, whose parents have ordered him to bring a fiance back home for next year's Spring Festival.

After the party, people posted contact information and expectations for their soul mates. In a society where privacy is highly valued, many put their photographs and mobile phone numbers on the board. At lunchtime, some newly made friends were already taking pictures together.

Some people have found mates through the singles' parties, said Shu Liming, an organizer who attended the past three parties. Shu said the number of applicants far surpassed her expectation. "We had to stop accepting applications the last few days before the party," she said.

It's hard to know how many Shenzhen young men and women are waiting for mates, but in Shenzhen, finding a husband or a wife seems to be much more difficult than in other Chinese cities.

Wang Xiaohua, a professor of ethnic studies at Shenzhen University, attributed the difficulty to the young people's high expectations, diversified backgrounds, and lack of bond of traditions.

"It's difficult for young Shenzheners to reach a consensus," said Wang, adding that the uncertainty about the future, heavy pressure and high fluidity also contributed to the difficulty.

However, Wang does not regard the big number of singles as a social problem. "Shenzheners have already gotten used to it. In inland cities, a girl's parents will start nagging her if she does not get married by 25, but in Shenzhen, nobody will criticize you even if you remain single at the age of 30," she said.

While young Shenzheners may not feel the urgency to get married in their twenties, their parents, most of whom live in inland provinces, cannot help worrying about their children. At the city's Lotus Hill Park, a matchmaking corner has formed on Saturday afternoons where parents exchange photos and information on their unmarried children.

Editor: Wing