What is marriage? For Hunan native Gong Haiyan, 29, the institution is not so much about romance but the chance to have a regular and ordinary life.
But, try as she might, Ms Gong struggled to find Mr Right. She consulted matchmakers, asked friends and family for introductions and scoured the internet in search of a partner.
Ms Gong thought she could develop a better matchmaking website than those she was visiting. She was looking for an educated man for a long-term relationship but the online sites did not discriminate between her criteria and people interested in one-night stands and escort services.
So, while studying for her master's at Shanghai's Fudan University, Ms Gong set up a matchmaking service aimed at the eligible elite. The free love21cn.com service took off and that's when Mr Right-enough turned up, still recovering from an operation on his legs.
'He saw my information and sent me an e-mail for a date,' she said.
'He gave me the impression of someone who was not sophisticated and he was hobbling. On our second date two days later, he proposed, because he was 33 years old. He was over the normal age limit for marrying and he said I fitted his requirements.'