More expats in China are using dating apps to diversify their social circles and romantic options. Photo: IC
It was 11 pm on a Saturday night, and Jeff, a European expat who has been living in Beijing for five years, was just back from a party where he met a lot of new people, both foreigners and Chinese. Still, though, he felt just a little bit empty, a little bit restless, and so he logged onto Tantan, a Chinese dating app similar to Tinder, that he has been using for the past year.
He started swiping through prospective partners' pictures and limited profiles, which include information like age, zodiac sign and occupation. Swiping left means you do not like the person, right means you do. Left, left, and then, 'Oh, this girl is pretty. She's got a nice smile,' he said to himself, and swiped right. It was a match, which meant the girl also liked him. 'Hi, how are you?' he typed.
According to Jeff's profile on Tantan, 5,166 girls have liked him over the past year, which translates to 5,166 chances to meet new girls online. In that time, he's achieved 1,196 matches, which meant that he and 1,196 girls liked each other.
Chinese dating apps have been seeing growing popularity among expats living in China, in part because many foreigners' social circles are largely limited to other expats, and these apps give them the chance to meet and date locals. Among the most popular apps, both for Chinese and foreign singles, are Tantan, Momo and Skouts.
Sun Yang, a public relations director from Momo, told Metropolitan that they have seen more expats using their dating app over the past few years, though they didn't have any statistics detailing their number of foreign users.
Another dating app, Tantan, didn't reply to Metropolitan's calls as of press date, but according to Metropolitan's count, it contains around one expat user for every 10 Chinese users in expat-heavy neighborhoods like Guomao and Sanlitun.
Milo Gonzales, a Beijing-based relationship counselor from the US, said that dating apps are a quicker and easier way to meet new people for expats.
'It gives people the opportunity to talk and communicate to see if they have the same interests, and if their general viewpoints click before they meet in person to see if they are right for each other,' he said.
Women from the West and from China generally take different approaches to dating when using dating apps in China. Photo: IC
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Some believe that relationships that start through dating apps tend to be more shallow since users are more focused on appearances. Photo: IC
The good and bad of cross-cultural dating
What Jeff likes about dating apps is how easy it is to find and meet pretty local girls. In real life, many expats work so much that they have only limited time to socialize, and when they do, according to Jeff, they mostly hang out with other expats.
'Dating apps help break that invisible boundary between expats and locals,' he said.
That has indeed been the case for the two male expats who talked to Metropolitan, both of whom have noticed they are more popular on Chinese dating apps than they are on apps in their home countries.
A case in point is Bruce from the UK, who has only been using Tantan for one month but has already received 236 matches.
'In the UK, when I use Tinder, I usually get 20 to 30 matches tops, because there are fewer girls who swipe right for me than in China.'
Another difference, according to Bruce, is that in the UK, it is usually guys who start the conversation and do the work to try and impress and win over the girls.
'In China, I feel the girls are more keen to meet with me and impress me. Chinese girls don't have arrogance is the best way to explain it, I guess.'
In his experience, Chinese girls on Tantan usually start conversations by asking where he comes from and what he does in Beijing, before asking for his WeChat, and then if he wants to meet up.
'But I think it's too quick,' Bruce said. So far, he has met two girls through Tantan.
Andrew, a Brit in Beijing who's been using Chinese dating apps for five months, says he quickly discovered that while women in the West generally start out chatting about shared interests, Chinese women are more likely to ask about his job and future plans.
He recalls one Chinese girl who, after a single date, began planning their wedding and future together in China.
'I understand that in China, some girls are facing pressure to get married before a certain age, which drives them to want to get serious faster in relationships,' said Andrew.
Another source of culture shock for expats is unrealistic expectations.
Shim Bo-kyung (pseudonym), a 24-year-old student from South Korea, said he often gets the impression that his Chinese dates like to imagine him as being just as rich and handsome as the characters from South Korean TV series.
'Some of my online dates would call me Oppa (Korean for 'older brother,' a term of endearment sometimes used for boyfriends) in a coquettish way just like in South Korean TV series, even though they are older than me, which just freaks me out,' he said.
'Some of them also assume that I am rich, even though I am just a student who works part time,' he said.
Shim added that some Chinese girls have even asked if he comes from a wealthy family like in the famous South Korean TV series The Heirs.
Flings vs serious relationships
Although dating apps have made it easier to meet more people, the relationships formed are often short-lived and shallow, because they were based in the first place on little more than appearances.
'With dating apps, people check out one another's pictures very quickly, and if they think you're attractive, that's it,' Jeff said. 'Most don't even look at the information you've written down.'
Gonzales said that, according to his observations, most guys who use dating apps are more interested in casual relationships, because so many apps are geared at hooking up.
Other expats have different intentions, and use dating apps more to meet locals, learn the language and deepen their understanding of China.
Bruce, for example, wanted to make new friends and maybe find someone who wanted to learn English and could teach him Chinese at the same time. As a result, he met a 19-year-old student who wants to study in the UK, and they've been meeting up to do a language and culture exchange.
Erika, a 22-year-old student from South Korea, has similar intentions to Bruce.
'I'm not looking for the love of my life on dating apps. I use them more for the sake of having different experiences and expanding my world view. By meeting more people from different backgrounds and careers, I've learned a lot about interacting with different kinds of people. I've learned how to start and carry a conversation, to alleviate awkward tension and to listen to others' stories,' Erika said.
She said the best experiences are when you hit it off with someone, and end up talking endlessly.
She recalls one guy she met, who works at an IT company, with whom she had a great conversation about philosophy and life. He also expressed interest in making Korean friends, since his work and social environment is exclusively Chinese.
'I've been surprised to see how eager most people are to interact with foreigners; it's just that they usually have few chances to do so,' Erika said. 'I think Chinese guys are more willing to start conversations with expat girls on apps than they are in real life.'
Before you head out and satisfy Chinese singles online, you should be familiar with the most used dating apps for foreigners in Asia. This might be so that you won’t embarrass your self and fail miserably in your dating efforts.
Finding love is difficult https://mingle2.review/swinglifestyle-review. It’s more challenging if you have to get it done in a international country where you face cultural distinctions and language obstacles. Every more and more foreigners are choosing to visit and experience China day. Thousands of people arrived at china to the office, research, or simply just benefit from the rich cultural history. Among the experiences they pursue is looking for intimate relationships with Chinese residents.
With Asia having the world’s population that is largest, it is customary to trust that locating a partner could be easy, you couldn’t be much more incorrect.
In recent years, fulfilling a partner that is ideal become a broad issue, not only for foreigners. Nevertheless, dating apps are slowly becoming the norm when you look at the dating scene. In accordance with Ai Media Research Centre, over 600 million people utilized dating apps in China in 2019.
As online dating gets to be more and much more popular in Asia, various Chinese relationship apps and platforms have actually surfaced to focus on foreigners looking to meet Chinese singles. It’s usually either for casual experiences or deep, lasting relationships.
Below are a few of the very most popular dating apps for foreigners in Asia.
TrulyChinese is a distinct segment dating platform that links foreigners with authentic Chinese lovers. It’s the perfect site if you’re in search of both casual and durable relationships.
Your website is simple to create. Simply register, enter your data to your profile, get confirmed, and you’re prepared to talk to available singles that are chinese.
With features like advanced level search and content filters, TrulyChinese helps you see the perfect partner of one’s preference. Additionally enables you to look at your compatibility by comparing your passions to see if you’re compatible for every other. The working platform additionally allows you chat that is video has a good integrated translator to convert a number of languages.
Momo ranks among the most useful free dating apps in Asia. It’s also one of many biggest & most popular online dating sites platforms in china. First introduced as a dating that is location-based, Momo changed into a social platform that allows users connect and locate love.
Upon registration, you should have access to Momo’s many features. You can easily use its location-based feature to find potential matches near you if you are looking for a date. You can access other features like games, talk discussion boards where users communicate predicated on provided interest.
Although often confusing to navigate for brand new users featuring its great number of features, Momo is a great location for foreigners to communicate and possibly match a number of of Chinese and worldwide users. It has about 70 million active users that are monthly over 8 million premium members.
Qing ChiFan, meaning “Please, eat,” is a viral dating app that is chinese. It provides such an online that is unique experience it is nearly revolutionary. The premise is straightforward, extend an invite to a potential dining partner near where you are. When they accept, they will certainly get acquainted with you’re a match more than a meal. It marries technology plus the dinner date that is traditional.
You can easily set choices for what type of meals you need to consume and which restaurants you desire to dine. You can easily send an invite or set your profile and watch for anyone to content you when they share the exact same cooking passions to you. The software lets you organically build relationships as well as in individual.
One of the most features that are appreciated establishing if you wish to pay money for the meal or separate the bill. That saves people that are many a large amount of awkwardness and makes Qing ChiFan among the best free Chinese dating apps.
The application possesses large individual base while offering in-app purchases that assist you to gain access to premium features.