Xuefei is a thirty-one-year-old lady doing international business in Beijing, single and sometimes lonely. She spends most of her spare time having parties with friends, shopping and watching movies. She neither worries about marriage, nor views it as the most important event in her life. But her friends and family members are busy arranging blind dates for her.

Chemistry is hard to build. While Xuefei takes her time to find her Mr. Right, society has classified her into the category of 'Sheng Nu', which literally means 'leftover ladies'. They were born in the 1970s, and are single. Men in the same situation are known as 'leftover men'. However, Xuefei has her own opinions about this title.

"I don't think the word 'Leftover' is proper. It doesn't properly describe the facts and gives others the illusion that we are a group of people that nobody likes. Since the living standards and individual rights improve, people become pickier when looking for a life partner."

But some other women, such as twenty-seven-year-old college teacher Xiaoxi, don't mind the title.

"Though I'm going to be one of these 'leftover' women, I think the title is acceptable. It's just a descriptive word and describes the feeling of these people in society. Most of my friends dated in college. I didn't do that because my parents expected me to concentrate on study. After I graduated, I found it really hard to find the right person. I need not only emotional attachment but satisfying material conditions and similar family background."

Traditionally, people like Xuefei and Xiaoxi were labeled "old single youth" in China and people thought it was hard for them to find a satisfying spouse. Some people would even hold a biased view on them. Accept the new title or not, both Xuefei and Xiaoxi feel pressure from society and people around them.

"My parents are very conservative and are worried about my marriage and they introduced me to some men, however, none of them were suitable." "When I went home, my neighbours and relatives were all curious about why I was still single. They think I am a little strange."

They are not alone. It’s estimated that the number of single ladies aged around thirty exceeds 500,000 in Beijing. Most of them have a good educational background, have admirable jobs and live decent lives. Gesang Zeren, a psychologist with Sichuan University explains why there has been a surge in the number of singles in recent years.

"Some people fear to take the responsibility in the marriage commitment. More importantly, society is developing fast. People need freedom and marriage is considered, by many, to be a form of bondage. They need time and energy to develop themselves. Some of them are seeking an ideal marriage and some people are trying to figure out what marriage means to them."

In 1970, the average age for females to get married in China was 20 and it climbed up to 23 in 1980. The figure rose to 24 in 1990 and 27 in 2000. At the same time, males are also getting married later than ever before.

'Leftover people' are considered a social problem in the city of Nanjing and local government is trying to lower people's standards of choosing a spouse and to help those singles find their companions. Gesang Zeren says this move will cause more problems.

"People with outdated mindsets think 'leftover people' are a problem and in fact they are not. I think it's time to create a relaxed environment for those singles. In the past, people got married at 16, but the situation has changed. If society continues to tell people that it's a problem to be single, they will probably rush into marriage simply for social acceptability. That is where the real problem lies."

Xiaoxi enjoys her life a lot and when she is alone, she surfs the Internet, watches movies and listens to music.She has many foreign friends who are over 30 and also single. And being an 'old single youth' is not a problem but a lifestyle for them.As the New Year is coming, she hopes she can find her beloved. She says she will wait and a happy marriage is worth her patience.