Steve Chen has never been in love. Last spring, however, it happened. The 25-year-old met with his first girlfriend in a way she couldn’t imagine before: Video Chat live.
Disappointed with traditional dating and the use of applications, Chen has jumped a new trend among young, lonely people in China. Those who seek love get into a video chat rooms host what is called “Cyber Business”, all, while thousands of viewers watch and comment in real time.
The number of single people in China over 15 reached a record 240 million in 2023, according to government data. Faced with a declining birth rate and an aging population, the government has encouraged lonely people to get married and have many children. Last year, the State Council, the Cabinet of China, required local authorities to build various platforms for young people to have more opportunities so far.
“We must actively encourage a new type of marriage and birth culture,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping in a 2023 speech, encouraging people to start families.
Shy and introverted, Chen found it very strong. He described himself as a “mush solo”, a Chinese jargon as unmarried, as in the womb.
But these days they are over.
In live chat live, Chen fell in love.
He hosted Tian Son, a cyban, who is a live virtual group of Xiaohongshu – or Rednote, a Chinese social media application – for more than a year.
During the day, Tian works at a technology company. At night, it is transformed into a matchmaker who breaks the ice, cracks jokes, moderates conversations and sometimes offers connection tips. Her account has over 130,000 followers.
“Empathy is the most important. You must be involved in what people say,” Tian told the Associated Press.
At 11:00 in the week, over 800 viewers watched Tian’s video chat with Chinese pop songs with love with love with love. Eight people were on a camera, their faces stacked on a screen net. Another dozen were waiting in a digital tail.
Tian starts by asking each participant a similar set of questions: age, weight, height, work, income, location, zodiac sign, hobbies and requirements for partners.
“Do you have talent or skills to show us?” Tian asked a competitor, a PE teacher.
The man took off his shirt and bent his biceps and six packs. The mouth opened. Some were clapping.
A new comment jumped into the chat with a series of laughing Emoji: “Lol. To meet so competitively these days?”
After the initial set of questions, the participants talked about their daily lives and work while dealing with their night routine procedures-all the camera. One person washes his makeup while another eats dinner at a late night of fried chicken.
As a medical student who makes his residence, Chen said he had some free time so far. “The pressure from training and work is very strong. I don’t have time to communicate with people and make friends.”
Chen is not alone in the feeling that way. More than 30% of young people who are non -familiar said it was due to their busy work schedules, according to a 2025 report from Iimedia Research, a Chinese data analysis agency. Many companies in China ask employees to work 12-hour days, six days a week. In response, there is a growing tendency for “lying flat” or to work as much as possible – and choose to remain single – to oppose public pressure.
For those who want to get married, live videos are an attractive alternative to traditional matches methods, such as marriage markets – where families exchange resume and organize dates for their unmarried children.
They are also another option for dating dating apps.
Christine Gian said live videos are more fascinating and interactive than applications.
“You can see more than just pictures of profiles in Livestreams. You can see how one person talks and acts,” Gian said.
She began to adjust regularly to Tian’s life, where Chen – also regular – grabbed her eye. Sometimes he danced and sang in front of the camera.
Hundreds of Livestream viewers Gian said she fell in love with him. Other participants, along with an audience of hundreds of followers, were impressed by her courage. The matchmaker presented them and encouraged them to speak one of one of the living. They sent messages and met in person a few months later.
Nearly a year later, they are in a serious relationship.
They both said they felt lucky to have met.
“Finding love is hard. I had to gather courage to share my feelings in front of the camera,” Gian said. “I think only those who are brave find love.”