INTERFAX CHINA -- Nov 30 -- The Chinese online dating industry is still in its honeymoon period, with leading Web sites such as Jiayuan.com (formerly known as Love21.cn), Baihe.com and Marry5.com proving as attractive to venture capitalists as they are to their users. In April this year, Jiayuan received venture capital of RMB 40 million ($5.42 million) and a further RMB 73.81 million ($10 million) in June. In 2005, Marry5 raised around $12.5 million in venture capital, while Baihe.com got $11 million last year. Interfax spoke with Jiayuan.com CEO, Gong Haiyan, about managing the site, and how she sees the industry developing...
Interfax: What difficulties have you faced?
Gong: In China, a lot of people, don't trust online dating, especially those born in the 1950s and 1960s.
Interfax: What are your expectations for the future of online dating in China?
Gong: People born in the 1990s have grown up with the Internet and they'll be open to this method of dating. The market is growing as people's attitudes change.
Interfax: What makes Jiayuan.com different from other Web sites?
Gong: Our Web site is for well-educated people. We ask members for education certification and copies of their ID cards.
Interfax: What's the plan to raise your profit?
Gong: We plan to offer wedding services to our members who succeed in finding partners Jiayuan.com
Mark Brooks: See Int'l Internet Dating Rankings on the right bar for official Chinese internet dating rankings from iResearch.
Recent Comments