If You Are The One: The Hottest TV Show in China

The young man had a simple question: “Would you often come riding with me on my bike?” It’s the kind of line that worked for many suitors in China, the kingdom of bicycles, during its austere decades under Chairman Mao. But Ma Nuo (马诺), a Beijing model, seeks loftier transport and wealthier dates.

When a bachelor contestant invited her to ride on his bike. "I'd rather cry in a BMW", said Ma Nuo.

Even if a date went bad, “I’d rather cry in a BMW” was her giggling, withering rejection, watched by millions on China’s top-rated TV entertainment show. Material girls such as Ma, 22, have rocketed If You Are the One (Fei Cheng Wu Rao, Don’t Disturb If Not Sincere,  非诚勿扰 in Chinese) and its rival dating show, Take Me Out （wo men yue hui ba, 我们约会吧 in Chinese) to the summit of Chinese television fame.

The programs, which both first aired in January, have generated discussion about money worship among China’s younger generation. Publicity-generating scandals include allegations of fake contestants and nude photos, posted online, of one contestant Yan Fengjiao (闫凤娇), who says she was coerced.

They also highlight how a perpetual human struggle, finding the right mate, presses harder than ever in the world’s most populous nation.

Audiences have been intrigued by the guests’ outspoken remarks and the occasional arguments that break out.

Flashpoints include issues such as household chores, whether a wedded couple should live with the husband’s parents, if car and house ownership matters more than love, and whether or not a career should be sacrificed for love.

Claiming to have $878,000 in the bank and three sports cars, 23-year-old Liu was voted off.

The 23-year-old male contestant Liu Yunchao (刘云超 ), claiming to be an “affluent second generation”, boasted about his 6 million yuan ($878,000) bank balance and three sports cars, but his wealth and arrogance was condemned and he was voted off the show. Liu later defended himself by saying he was being honest, while many of the girls were just being deceptive.

“The show is as dramatic as a TV soap opera,” says Liu Tingting, a married office worker in Beijing and regular viewer of the show.

“It reaches one climax after another every two or three minutes. It features a potpourri of hot topics such as mortgage slaves, the income gap between the rich and poor, and being single, which constantly prick people’s nerves.”

The shows’ popularity is easy to explain, says Tian Fanjiang, CEO of baihe.com, a matchmaking website. “There are 180 million single people in China,” Tian says. “They and their parents are all worried about the marriage problem.”

By the standards of the USA — which brought the world the hookups of The Bachelor and the smackdowns of Jersey Shore— China’s twice-weekly, hour-long hit shows can appear tame. For Chinese viewers, they have proved riveting, turning traditional matchmaking on its head and celebrating instant celebrity.

After more than 20 episodes of If You Are the One, Ma Yimi (马伊咪), 22, a music student, finally agreed to a date: a long-haired graffiti artist. The elegantly dressed Ma was as controversial, and popular, as Ma Nuo because she was cruel to male contestants and took so long to choose one.

Although dating programs have aired for almost two decades here, they didn’t look like this, where a glamorous and often intimidating lineup of 24 women can dismiss the male hopefuls, who appear singly, with the push of a button or a blunt critique of their appearance, attitude and accomplishments. If a man survives three rounds, he gets to choose his date.

“In the old shows, people just introduced themselves, and there was little mutual choice,” says Wang Gang, who produces If You Are the One for Jiangsu Satellite TV. Wang says his show offers confrontation, nerves and suspense. “Our style is new, and the mass audience has got bored of singing and dancing programs.”

That’s a not-so-subtle dig at the last big thing on Chinese television, Super Girl (chao ji nu cheng, 超级女声 in Chinese), the American Idol knockoff produced by Hunan Satellite TV, which also makes Take Me Out, licensed from British firm Fremantle.

“The Chinese family is unique in the world, as we have a one-child policy,” says Take Me Out producer Liu Lei, “but parents attach great importance to carrying on the family name, so marriage is a big issue.”

Liu insists that the money-worship of some contestants does not reflect mainstream Chinese society, but she concedes, “Many girls really love rich men.”

A wealthy catch

Matchmakers are rushing to cash in at matchmaking fairs and other events.

Fifteen thousand women applied for a chance to date a wealthy man at an event May 1 organized by matchmaking website jiayuan.com, says Zhang Guoyu, director of the company’s Southwest China branch. In June, 50 of them will meet the men who paid $14,650 for the service.

Most people misunderstand the rich, says Zhang, whose company supplies contestants to Take Me Out. “They may be very successful in business, but they are very lonely when they get home,” he says.

Money worshipers and their brash targets help draw viewers, but producer Wang nominates a modest contestant as his favorite for a stirring, Susan Boyle-like moment. Vocal teacher Lu Yuanlong (陆元龙) “is not good–looking,” Wang says. “Your belly is terrifying” was one contestant’s reaction.

(Vocal teacher Lu Yuanlong sings Nessun Dorma from Puccini’s opera Turandot at 4:32)

All the women switched off their lights except the one who, unknown to her, Lu had selected. Then Lu took a microphone and brought the house down with a stunning operatic aria.

“They are a perfect couple and are still together,” Wang says.

No TV show can fully reflect social reality, says Yin Hong, a Chinese television scholar at Beijing’s Tsinghua Univeristy. He prefers If You Are the One because “It’s more controversial.” Why so popular? “China’s social environment is changing, as people dare to express their private life and love values in public,” he says.