TV matchmaking shows used to be popular in China. In their heyday, you could find them on four to five channels every week.

People were very excited about being on that small box. You feel like being a star, at the same time you may find your Mr. or Mrs. Right, so why not try and get on the show?

But like many popular TV shows, the genre was soon devastated by mushrooming imitations. When audiences became fed up with the repetition, only the most impressive could survive.

Among those lucky survivors is a talk show. One episode began with the emcee holding a board, which listed a woman's requirements for her future husband. The most eye-catching items were: good at sex, with at least 5 million yuan ($660,000) of circulating funds.

The invited audience was irritated. "Who does she think she is? Is she crazy?"

In their furious protest, the woman showed up. She was pretty, elegant and well-mannered. The audience calmed down quickly. A girl stood up and said: "I appreciate this sister's courage." A middle-aged man also backed her up: "I think she deserves a good husband."

But the climax came when a Hong Kong entrepreneur hidden among the audience sat down with the woman and the emcee.

"Do you think you meet all the requirements?" asked the emcee.

"Well, no man will say he is not strong at sex," he replied. "As for money, that is not a problem. Many girls trying to approach me wanted much more than that sum, but they would never say it, which is more terrible."

The woman replied to his frankness with a sweet smile. It seemed that they finally found each other.

Some shows excel not in interesting guests, but the wits of directors. In one such show, applicants must act as themselves in short dramas on why they were single. The most impressive episode, as I can recall, is played by a middle-aged man.

"I led a happy and steady life with my ex-wife," the man appeared on screen, with his "wife" played by a woman whose face was blurred.

The following story looked just like another TV serrial about an extramarital affair.

The man met a young girl and fell in love with her. The actor playing the girl also had a blurred face. The man divorced his wife after fierce fighting. Feeling guilty, he gave the house and most of his savings to his ex. When he rushed to the girl, however, she was not as excited. The following scenes told us she dumped him without hesitation when she discovered he had no money or house any more. The poor man turned to his ex, only to find she had a new family.

At the end of the melodrama, our lead actor sincerely told his audience: "I regret for what I have done. I will never make the same mistake."

I think the woman who would still choose him after seeing this show must be his real soul mate.

(China Daily 08/15/2007 page20)