Lucrative link-ups

According to statistics from the Committee of Matchmaking Service Industries, in 2010, among all of the 20,000 registered matchmaking service providers in China, only 3,000-4,000 are still in business.

"The year 2005 was the peak for Chinese matchmaking companies and, with the rapid growing market, it was chaos," Tian says. "The situation changed a bit when venture capitalists started to pay attention to this industry in 2007, and an inevitable consolidation began."

Before 2007, matchmaking companies had been totally dependent on online platforms. Fake personal information was rampant. People were pretending to be someone else, not using their real photos or real identities.

The companies which have survived have now turned to traditional means of matchmaking.

"The online world is a virtual reality in which no one can guarantee the authenticity of their profiles," says Xu Li, customer service director at True Love Online.

"We don't guarantee the authenticity of online information until people who are looking for serious and safe matchmaking services come to us, provide identification to prove their marriage status and possession of assets," Xu says.

The company doesn't charge to register on the website, but once personal information is verified, members are charged a yearly fee of at least 8,000 yuan.

Xu says identity checks are the key to success in the matchmaking industry.

"We are a service provider which means quality is the only criterion for our services. Without identity checks, we cannot guarantee our services," she says.

Many matchmaking companies do more than find suitable candidates for clients and arrange dates. True Love Online also offers marriage consultants to find potential partners that match what paying clients are looking for.

"We do not judge our members' requests, but when their requests are unique our consultants will try to find solutions," Xu says.

Lu, of Lushan Marriage Group, also agrees that matchmaking nowadays is more than introducing single men and single women; some companies are offering psychological consulting.

"People who turn to us usually have high expectations for the other half, which often becomes a barrier for them to find the right one. And it is our duty to help them change their mentality," Lu says.

Even though matchmakers are part of the traditional Chinese culture, the modern matchmaking industry has become increasingly important for single people.

So important that one agency, Golden Bachelor Matchmakers, was seeking a "lover hunter". The position paid an annual salary of 500,000 yuan and the job came with a BMW Mini Cooper.

"Many people don't understand why a matchmaker should be paid so much. I say they are the ones who help people to find the perfect other half," says Xu Tianli, founder of the company.