China Zhao Lin, 78, has been used to single life for a long time but still feels lonely and wants to be with someone.

That's why Zhao, widowed since 1971, went to the park in China's capital Beijing.

"I've been looking for love for myself for a year," said Zhao. He is one of dozens of single elderly people who visit parks across China in the hope of finding someone to rely on in old age. But he admits it is not easy at this age.

"It all stopped after the first talk. There was no second. They would disappoint you and realize there was no hope at all. What's the problem here?" Zhao lamented.

After 30 years of socio-economic development, the Chinese people's perception of love has changed. More and more lonely elderly people are trying to find love for themselves in the late afternoon.

Chinese media refer to this phenomenon as "late afternoon love". The elderly now appear on dating programs "Peach Blossoms Bloom" (Peach Blossom Story), "Exciting Old Friends" (Exciting old friends), and "Holding Hands" (Knitting hands) . Online chat rooms for the elderly also appear more. However, nowhere in China attracts the elderly as much as the park.

Changpuhe Park and Tian Dan Park are two favorite places for old people in Beijing. Meanwhile, Hongyadong Park (Hong Nhai Dong) is considered a "dating place" favorite in the city of Chongqing. In Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, the elderly often gather at the Revolution Park every Wednesday and Saturday.

"Many of my American colleagues who come to China are often surprised to see so many people in the park. Going to the park is an effective way to find and meet people. It also helps increase the chances of having meetings." dating successful, "said Bei Wu, director of the global aging and health research center at New York University, USA. He has 30 years of research on Chinese seniors.

Population aging is the reason behind this phenomenon. China currently has 48 million widows or widows and is expected to have 118.4 million by 2050, according to research by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. According to a survey conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences on People’s Daily, 4 out of 5 widows or widowers want to remarry. China also witnessed an increase in the number of divorces among elderly people. In Beijing, nearly a third of the divorces are couples aged 60-70, according to Beijing Evening News.

The number of single elderly people is increasing, leading to many public health problems. HIV prevalence among the elderly is increasing because many people do not have safe sex, according to the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of men over 60 years old with HIV in the country has increased nearly three times compared to 2012. In October, the government announced many specific policies for the elderly to raise awareness about the prevention of AIDS infection.

Many elderly Chinese people lack sexual knowledge, because when they were young, it was taboo to talk about this issue. People often meet their future spouses through matchmakers or friends. Dating was rare in China at the time.

Getting to know the opposite sex is quite embarrassing for many elderly people. A recent Tuesday afternoon at Changpuhe Park, located next to the Forbidden City, a group of elderly men sat together to watch the women and the men loitering around them. A few people paced back and forth to wait for the opportunity to make eye contact with a woman.

The elderly man sat next to the woman in a purple coat for a few minutes before shyly asking, "How old are you?". "72 years old," the woman answered softly. A few minutes later, they started talking to each other.

Many people complain about the criteria for finding a mate only in China. In a country where cancer can make a person bankrupt, pensions and health insurance can increase the attractiveness for an elderly person in search of life. Many people want to find a widower or a widower rather than a divorced, because they have less emotional burden.

"Find a soul mate. Men. Born in 1949. Divorced. There is no burden of responsibility," the content of crumpled paper taped to the rock under a tree, one of many ads can be Found in this park.

Li, the owner of the poster, is looking for a wife about 1m50 tall, weighs 58-68 kg, ages 50 to 60 and has wrinkled skin. In particular, the Li woman wanted to find "no black moles". In return, Mr. Li promised to leave the 100-square-meter apartment for any woman with him for the rest of his life.

In another ad, the man pledges to spend a lifetime with his spouse on trips for the rest of his life, and is willing to buy houses on the east coast of China, the United States or Japan.

Guan Yongnian, 82, divorced, considered himself a "bargain" as a strong and successful man. He is a calligraphy, writer, and tai chi teacher (a popular martial arts practice in China). Guan said his sex friends have matched many women for the past 30 years. He married when he was in his 20s, had two daughters in their 50s and their eldest son was nearly 60 years old.

Guan has a list of criteria for his future wife: age 40, bright, smart, capable and knowledgeable. In addition, can bring a sense of lightness and happiness is a plus point. However, very few people could meet his request. "At present, many women look ugly, do not know how to dress, lack of sophistication and politeness," Guan said.

Mr. Guan has been observing for an hour and has no intention of getting to know anyone. "I have a problem: If you call me, I won't call back. I'm quite ridiculous. I like that person to pursue me," Guan said.

A woman wearing a long yellow coat, pink lipstick, curiously looked at Guan when he gave the interview. "How old are you? 50 or 60?", Guan asked. "60 years old," the woman answered. "See? I guess that's right," he said.

The woman named Han Shuping, 52 years old and divorced. She frequented Changpuhe Park for the past two years. A man scooped up Han's hair before she could push him away.

"Many people here have very bad personalities. Many older men try to invite you to eat, invite you to stay in their houses and try to take you to bed," Ms. Han said.

The woman from Henan province said she always told the truth about her background in rural areas and about no pension with her pursuer. Han hopes to find a grandmother who can talk to and develop feelings for later.

"At this age, love at first sight is impossible," she said, feeling rather pessimistic about her chances of finding love. "It's hard to find love here. Sincere people are rare."

Mr. Zhao felt the same way. He found many women today too pragmatic. "They like houses, money and cars. They ask you to transfer your property. That's the first thing they talk about. It's scary, isn't it?" Zhao said.

However, he still yearns to find love for himself so that he will not be alone in the remaining years of his life. For him, the "three treasures" of life are people who know "when you are cold or warm, when you suffer and when you are desperate."

"If there have never been these three valuable things, how can you understand what happiness is? What suffering is? That's the feeling I'm seeing right now, something I've never done before," Zhao said.