情人節夢魘:你在相親還是在去相親的路上
VALENTINE'S Day is a particularly embarrassing time for many men and women looking for love in China, where it's traditionally considered shameful to remain single after 30.
在中國，情人節對於許多還在尋找真愛的男女來說是一個特別尷尬的時間，這裏30歲之後還單身傳統上被認爲是可恥的。
This year, the Western holiday fell on the fifth day of the Chinese lunar New Year, in the middle of family gatherings and feasts that often focus on gossip, including who is getting married and who is going to have a baby.
今年，這個西方節日落在農曆新年的第五天，在家庭聚會和宴會中經常關注緋聞，包括誰要結婚和誰將有嬰兒。
Lonely hearts are then forced center stage. Well-meaning aunts and uncles work to arrange dates that promise to ruin the rest of the holiday.
孤獨的心那時被逼至舞臺中央。好心的叔叔和阿姨忙着安排相親的承諾毀了其餘的假期。
"I am either on a date or on my way to the next date," one microblogger posted.
“我不是在約會就是在去下一個約會的路上，”一位微博用戶發貼稱。
"I was forced to go on two dates during the first four days of the holiday," said Cheng Xiaonian, an office worker in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province. "I was not in the mood to meet anyone, but my mom called me a weirdo, saying I was immature, unsociable and too picky."
“我被迫在假期的前四天進行兩個約會，”中國北部山西省省會太原的上班族陳曉年說。“我沒心情見任何人，但我媽媽叫我怪人，說我不成熟、不和氣的和太挑剔。”
Cheng, the only child in her family, is 29, a borderline "old maid" as far as her mother is concerned.
程，家裏的獨身子女，29歲，處在“老處女”的邊緣，正如她母親所擔心的。
"I know how people will look at me and my family if I remain single, and I know precisely how my mom feels," she said. "But I'm still a green hand at my current job and I'm under heavy pressure. I don't have the time or energy for dating."
“如果我繼續保持單身我知道人們會怎麼看我和我的家人，我清楚的知道我媽媽的感覺，”她說。“但我在我目前的工作上還是一個新手，我承受着巨大的壓力。我沒有時間和精力來約會。”
Like most of her peers, Cheng said she believes her "Mr Right" is waiting for her somewhere. "I will meet the right person at the right time. These forced dates will not work," she said.
像大多數的同齡人一樣，程曉年說她相信她的“Mr Right”正在某個地方等她。“我將在正確的時間遇到正確的人。這些使得約會不起作用，”她說。
Despite their reluctance, it's always difficult to turn down a warm-hearted aunt's invitation to a "private chat" at a restaurant or coffee shop, only to find a complete stranger of the opposite sex, often equally uneasy, struggling to strike up a conversation.
儘管他們不情願，但總是很難拒絕一個熱心的阿姨邀請你前往餐館或咖啡店的一個“私人聊天會”，卻發現一個完全陌生的異性，往往同樣不安，並努力搭訕。
"My parents worry that their only son might end up to be a bachelor for life and relatives simply enjoy nosing into others' private lives," wrote one male microblogger. "As a result, I live like a zoo animal, being watched and commented on by different people every day."
“我父母擔心自己唯一的兒子可能會以一個單身漢的生活孤獨終老，親戚只是喜歡打聽別人的私人生活，”一個男性微博博主寫道。 “結果我活得像一個動物園的動物，每一天被不同的人監視和評論。”
An online poll conducted by matchmaking service found that more than 80 percent of respondents under the age of 33 felt pressure regarding love and marriage, saying they felt guilty about being unable to find love.
由相親服務網站百合網發起的一個在線民意調查發現，超過80%的33歲以下的受訪者談到愛情和婚姻時會有壓力，說他們對無法找到真愛感到愧疚。
As the pressure mounts, some even rent a boyfriend or girlfriend to accompany them home to make their parents happy. Such "rent-a-date" services have been popular on shopping website for at least the past two years.
隨着壓力的增加，一些人甚至租一個男朋友或女朋友陪他們回家讓父母高興。這樣的“租對象”服務至少在過去兩年在購物網站淘寶上受歡迎起來。
Most singles around the age of 30 are well-educated, independent and have plans for their careers, said Zhou Xiaopeng, a specialist on love and family issues for .
大多數三十歲左右的單身男女都受過良好的教育、獨立、有自己的事業規劃，百合網的婚戀專家周小鵬說。
"They represent a new trend in urban life," he said. "In big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, at least a million people are unmarried after 30. Family members and society should be more tolerant of their lifestyle and respect their choices. Leave them alone, relax and they will ultimately find their Valentine."
“他們在城市生活中代表了一種新的趨勢，”他說。“在北京、上海等大城市中，至少有一百萬人30歲以後還未婚。家庭成員和社會應該對他們的生活方式更加寬容，尊重他們的選擇。不要打擾他們，放心，他們最終會找到他們的情人。”
