Who wants to be a millionaire's spouse?

Many say matchmaking activity for the rich is an insult to women

Some 300 women from different parts of Sichuan province will try to win the hands of millionaires when they take part in a matchmaking competition in Chengdu, capital of the southwestern Chinese province, on Sunday.

The organizer of the competition, the China Single Entrepreneur Club, said Chengdu would be one of 10 cities to play host to the event.

According to reports, those who join the club are single or divorced businessmen who have more than 100 million yuan ($15.7 million) in personal assets or are presidents or general managers of large companies. To maintain their memberships, they must pay 200,000 yuan in annual fees.

The competition began in Guangzhou on May 20, attracting 320 women from a pool of 2,800 applicants in the capital of South China's Guangdong province.

Young women fill applications forms to attend a matchmaking event for millionaires in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on May 20. About 320 out of 2,800 applicants participated in the event, but it was unknown how many, if any, found their Mr Right. [Photo/China Daily]

In the wake of the Guangzhou leg of the competition, the event on Sunday will draw about 300 women from Chengdu, Deyang and Mianyang, large cities in Sichuan. They will vie for the right to be among the 28 female finalists in the country to meet and date 20 millionaires.

Li Zhuo, an official from the club, said the millionaires who are looking for spouses are in their 30s or 40s. Most of them are divorced.

"The requirements for the female candidates are that they be college graduates who are between the ages of 20 and 35 years and be 1.6 to 1.75 meters tall," he said. "They will face a panel of judges who will assess them according to their appearances, psychology, ability to manage money and their views on marriage."

Many people have called the Chengdu-based Tianfu Morning Post to ask about how they could enter their names into the competition. Meanwhile, sichuan.scol.com.cn, a Sichuan website, conducted a survey and found that 54 percent of the respondents to the poll said the competition was an insult to women.

A woman surnamed Liu managed to become a candidate for the competition but decided not to take part in it in the end.

"I am 30, which is old by Chinese standards," she said. "But I decided to pursue pure love without taking money into consideration after having second thoughts. In addition, I cannot accept the fact that most of the millionaires are divorced but want the candidates to be virgins."

Many netizens made fun of the candidates, calling them material girls.

Cheng Fusheng, founder and CEO of the club, said: "There is no difference between a millionaire who advertises for a spouse through an agent and an ordinary person. Nobody is being forced to join."

Of the respondents to sichuan.scol.com.cn's survey, 18 percent said they endorse Cheng's views, saying: "The millionaires and the candidates have the freedom to choose and be chosen as long as they do not violate the law."

huangzhiling@chinadaily.com.cn