past, present, future: chinese zodiac matchmaking
happy matchmaker day (+ a giveaway!)
In honor of National Matchmaker Day, let’s look at the past, present, future of Chinese zodiac matchmaking!
The definition, traditions, and approaches of professional matchmakers vary depending on culture, time, and place. Basically, there’s no one way to be a matchmaker. Today, whether you use an actual matchmaker or use online dating apps or rely on family and friends to matchmake you, there’s no shortage of resources to help you find a match.
In my upcoming debut romantic comedy, Lunar Love, the story heavily involves Chinese zodiac matchmaking. Even in this book there’s not one way to be matched by way of the Chinese zodiac: there’s an in-person traditional matchmaking company called Lunar Love, as well as a dating app that matches people by their Chinese zodiac animal signs called ZodiaCupid.
June Huang, the founder of Lunar Love, moved to the United States from Asia where she used to matchmake. Over time, she modernized her business, but even the term “modern” can vary depending on who you ask. Again with culture, time, and place.
The Chinese zodiac is an important part of Chinese culture. It’s a belief system based on the lunar calendar in which twelve animals represent a repeating twelve-year cycle. Each lunar year is represented by a different animal, in the order of Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal is associated with various personality traits, which is why people use the Chinese zodiac as a way to learn more about themselves and who they may be compatible with.
It’s so interesting how the incorporation of the Chinese zodiac in matchmaking has evolved over the years. The history is long and complex, with many factors coming into play. The past, present, future below captures just the surface of these evolutions.
In China, it used to be that people didn’t get to choose their spouse. Matchmakers and parents, among others, would pair up brides and grooms without their participation and assess the compatibility of the Chinese zodiac signs (as well as their families’ signs). In 1919, in the May Fourth Movement, Chinese students held demonstrations for democracy, science, and the ability to have autonomy over their choice of spouses and lifestyles, just to name a few. Arranged marriages were banned in 1950, but in the decades that followed, elders continued to oversee who married who, giving people little say in their choice of spouse. In the early eighties, modernization had an impact on the country and people now had a choice in love.
Finding spouses can be challenging and complicated in China. Chinese women face pressures to be married before 28 so as not to be “leftover women” and marriage is often seen as a way to climb the social ladder. Inequalities of wealth and rural-to-urban migration have played a role. It’s no longer as simple as understanding people’s (and their family’s) Chinese zodiac signs. Online dating sites in China have added such precision to the matching world. Not only can you narrow down people by their zodiac sign, but you can also search by blood type, height, assets, profession, salary, personality traits, and face shape. Real life matchmakers still exist (and their fees can be steep), and in-person mixers (hosted by dating companies and the government) offer people opportunities to find matches. Parents are even taking it upon themselves to help their adult children find spouses via simple signs in parks across the city.
How relevant will Chinese zodiac signs be in dating? It’s so deeply embedded in the tradition and culture that it would be hard to move away from completely. But perhaps a different kind of sign will take its place with the younger generation: Western astrology. Even though the Chinese zodiac is still relevant, some young people deem it too traditional and too familiar. Some see Western astrology as a trend, others take their star signs quite seriously. In a world that’s becoming more blended in a variety of ways, and given the comeback of nostalgia, maybe more traditional beliefs and methods are what will come back around and be even more favorable. Maybe what’s familiar will prove to be comforting.
✨ GIVEAWAY✨ In honor of Matchmaker Day, my publisher Forever is celebrating two matchmakers: Olivia in Lunar Love and Kamila in Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron. Check out this Instagram post for all the details on how to win one of the five bundles they’re giving away! Giveaway ends on Friday, September 2, at Noon ET.
Thank you’re (😉) to everyone who downloaded Lunar Love so far on NetGalley, already read and reviewed the book, are currently reading, and who plan on reading it. I am so grateful that you’re spending your precious reading hours with Olivia and Bennett. Your enthusiasm and excitement honestly make me as tongue-tied as Frank Navasky. When Lunar Love went live on the platform, it found its way into the Most Requested Books sections of NetGalley: all of NetGalley, Romance, Multicultural Interest, and Women’s Fiction. That’s SO cool! Physical early-reader copies will be making their way into the world next month, and I can’t wait to see photos of LL out in the wild!
If you’re into Chinese zodiac matchmaking (or learning more), might I recommend pre-ordering Lunar Love? It’ll be out on January 10, 2023 💙
From me to you, in the present,
Lauren
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