In a corner of a park in Metro Vancouver, the hunt for marital bliss is on.

Groups of middle-aged and elderly Chinese pass around their smartphones or photos plucked from wallets, smiling and nodding their greetings before getting down to business.

Do you have a daughter or a son? How old are they? Where did they go to university? Where do they work? And perhaps most importantly B次元官网网址� why are they still single?

Central Park in Burnaby, has become a matchmaking corner for parents, replicating a phenomenon seen in some cities in China.

On the weekend before ValentineB次元官网网址檚 Day, there were 20 to 30 parents mingling. Organizer Terry Wang says in summer, there are more than 100.

The park is where magic happens, says Wang, B次元官网网址渋f you come here believing in the power of love.B次元官网网址�

Wang said in a Mandarin interview that he has been running the B次元官网网址渙ff-line dating siteB次元官网网址� since last summer. He said it gained in popularity among Chinese parents over the past few months and had a high rate of matchmaking success.

B次元官网网址淪ome parents are frequent visitors of the matchmaking corner and then one day they stop showing up and later they invite me to their childrenB次元官网网址檚 weddings,B次元官网网址� laughed Wang. He said he finds the process B次元官网网址渂lissful and rewarding.B次元官网网址�

Wang said the corner grew from an online discussion group among more than 300 Chinese immigrants who were either looking for a match for their children or for themselves.

B次元官网网址淢any Chinese parents and their children feel their social circle is a bit small and they hope to connect with more like-minded people in Metro Vancouver. The corner serves as a bridge,B次元官网网址� said Wang.

Meet-ups also take place on Sundays and Thursdays at a shopping mall in Richmond, south of Vancouver.

Wang said he had a personal interest in organizing the gatherings. His daughter is about to turn 26 and he visits the Burnaby corner weekly in the hope of finding her a husband.

B次元官网网址淚 am not too worried, but now itB次元官网网址檚 time for her to start dating,B次元官网网址� he said.

Wang said the idea for the matchmaking corner came from an experience in the province of Henan, in central China, where he came across a B次元官网网址渄ating marketB次元官网网址� with parents introducing their children to each other.

Yue Qian, an associate professor of sociology at the University of British Columbia, said it was the first time she had heard of a matchmaking corner in Canada. But she said she wasnB次元官网网址檛 surprised since similar sites are popular in some cities in China, including Shanghai and Beijing.

At a well-known matchmaking corner in ShanghaiB次元官网网址檚 PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Park, Chinese parents gather and display placards listing their childrenB次元官网网址檚 attributes in the hope of finding a good match.

B次元官网网址淚n my research, many Chinese immigrants in Vancouver found the place to be isolated and difficult to even find a friend,B次元官网网址� said Qian.

Compared with western society, which values B次元官网网址渋ndividuality,B次元官网网址� Qian said Chinese or Asian culture can be more B次元官网网址渇amily-orientedB次元官网网址� and under such settings, getting married or not isnB次元官网网址檛 just an issue for the children but also their parents.

B次元官网网址淪ome of the studies suggest that for children who havenB次元官网网址檛 got married at a certain age, their parents in China are more likely to have depression and low mental health,B次元官网网址� said Qian.

She added that stigma also exists around children who havenB次元官网网址檛 married by a certain age.

However, Qian said she thinks parents should sometimes step back and let their children take control of their relationships.

B次元官网网址淭hey need to respect the childrenB次元官网网址檚 decisions rather than imposing (their) will on their children.B次元官网网址�

Wang agreed, saying falling in love is a personal thing. What parents can do is introduce potential candidates.

B次元官网网址淔or parents who come to the matchmaking corner, they have gained support from their children and what parents can do is build the bridge, but their children will decide whether they want to cross it or not.B次元官网网址�

Wang, a self-employed businessman who writes romantic poetry as a hobby, said he thinks love is the purest thing on earth.

B次元官网网址淲hat is love? It touches everyone, no matter whether you are rich or poor. Many successful people conquer the world easily with money, power, and respect in hand. But they might not be able to find true love,B次元官网网址� said Wang.

B次元官网网址淟ove has no boundary, please join us if you believe in love.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擭ono Shen, The Canadian Press