Don’t be koi: Chinese fish farmer offers ‘lucky’ gift to net a bride for her son on Singles’ Day

A fish farmer in central China is offering “lucky fish” to any young woman willing to give her hand in marriage to her youngest son.

In a video appeal designed to coincide with the modern-day event of Singles’ Day, the farmer Liu Yingmei referred to the much older tradition of a groom’s family offering a betrothal gift to the bride’s family.

The 52-year-old told Visual China Group that the gift wouldn’t be a problem because “we have tens of thousands of koi in our ponds”.

Koi, a traditional symbol of good fortune, have become a popular social media meme among young people and the trend has made the fish a much-prized item, helping to boost revenues for farmers such as Liu.

Liu and other residents in Xiangzhai, a village in Henan province, began fish farming in 1993, and the area now produces 80 million a year.