Shortly after daybreak on Sunday, Fan Limin, a 42-year-old member of the Haoleyuan Matchmaking Co, climbed out of bed bright and early.

"I must accompany a woman client of mine to make a date with a young man who is also my customer. We will spend two hours on the way to the venue of the appointment so I have to be an early bird today," Fan said.

As a staff with a matchmaking company, Fan usually does not need to accompany her clients to make dates with each other. Instead, she only needs to research information of her customers to recommend a suitable candidate.

But the woman client, Guo Xiuyun, is too shy to go on a first date with a stranger by herself.

Guo, a 23-year-old kindergarten teacher in a suburb of Beijing, is just one person among tens of thousands of youngsters who opt to seek the help of matchmaking agencies when looking for spouses.

Over 1,500 private matchmaking companies operate in the city, according to the Beijing Municipal Industry and Commerce Administration.

If a person wishes to join a dating agency's list, he or she must first pay an admission fee that usually ranges from 300 yuan (US$36) to 800 yuan (US$96) on the basis of different kinds of service. In addition to filling in a form giving personal details, the person should also provide duplicate copies of his ID, diplomas and marital status certificates.

Based on the person's requirements and personal condition, the company's staff choose a suitable candidate for him or her. With the permission of both sides, the company then helps establish contact between the two persons.

"With such considerate and efficient service, these firms have been viewed as indispensable by many rural youngsters who want to tie the knot in future," said Lu Zhixia of Sweetheart Matchmaking Co.

Guo prefers this traditional way of finding a partner like many rural youngsters in Beijing.

In the past, villagers would invite matchmakers to find a partner when a person reached marrying age.

With the passage of time, such full-time matchmakers have vanished and mushrooming matchmaking agencies have taken the place of old-time go-betweens.

"I am very shy so it is impossible for me to find a boyfriend by myself. In my opinion, the matchmaking agencies are helpful because their staff members can save me trouble by sizing up and recommending a suitable candidate for me," Guo said.

Many urban white-collar employees with high incomes also benefit from the services offered by matchmaking agencies.

"Our reasons are different: With the current acceleration in social change, we work all day long and often work an extra shift late into the night. Matchmaking companies can cut the time spent seeking love because we are extremely busy and our spare time is short," said Qu Zhaoyang, 39, who works at an accounting firm.

His monthly income is 8,000 yuan (US$960) and his brand-new car was envied by his neighbours when he parked it in front of his house several months ago.

But Qu's marital status has been the main topic of conversations between his friends and family members for a long time.

"As a busy person, how can I cope with such a problem? All of a sudden it occurred to me that matchmaking agencies might pull the strings which will finally lead to marriage," Qu said.

During an excursion to a suburban scenic spot organized by Qingyuandao Matchmaking Co several days ago, Qu got to know a woman three years his junior.

Qu said the romantic atmosphere deliberately created for them made him feel relaxed and he immediately felt an attraction to the woman.

Qu said he is confident of winning her heart soon.

With the development of high technology in recent years, a number of youngsters have begun to find their sweethearts through the Internet.

The business of matchmaking companies was mildly affected a few years ago, according to Lu, who has helped people find love for about 10 years.

Lu said there has been a rebound in the business of a number of matchmaking agencies this year. She credited the phenomenon to some youngsters' distrust of "online love affairs."

Lu said that she met a young woman who enjoyed shooting the breeze with a close friend on the computer.

After several months of online communication, the woman sought a date because she believed she had fallen in love with the man.

But the result of this date was greatly frustrating to her because she found the man was in his 40s and had previously been divorced.

"Although some people complain about the high service fee, many youngsters still tend to patronize the companies. They might have different reasons but the aim is the same - establishing contact with their respective lovers," Lu added.