Adam and I were wandering around People's Park in downtown Shanghai when we came across something I had not expected to see in Asia. And I've come to expect some strange shit.
Hundreds of people were gathered in several walkways in the park, browsing notices hung under awnings or just held by senior citizens.
Something clicked in the depths of my mind and I remembered hearing something, godknowswhere, about a spouse market in China. Sure enough, a closer look at the notices confirmed this. There was the symbol for man and woman, numbers that looked to be height and weight, and a bunch more stuff I couldn't recognize.
An amused middle-aged guy started speaking to Adam and I. He told us they were in fact spouse advertisements (for a lack of a better word on my part, not his). They listed job, salary, birthyear, and where they lived and grew up in addition to what I identified.
As often happens when white people are present in China, a small crowd of people gathered. They were listening to this guy explain the market to Adam and I.
He told us one woman wanted me to marry his daughter. She showed me a picture - she was pretty - but I said I spoke no Chinese. He translated: "She speaks perfect English!" I carried on a humorous conversation through my new found interpreter who was getting a kick out of the whole situation.
"It's okay," he said, "she's only 50% serious!" He then said he would grill the woman on what it means to be a mother-in-law, and she proceeded to demonstrate her English skills to me by counting to five.
On top of a card from this woman with her daughter's email and phone number, another woman slipped me a piece of paper with hand-written details for her daughter too.
A wife would surely be a nice souvenir, but I think I have enough baggage as it is. Sorry ladies.
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