Singles' Day

Singles' Day(光棍节), which falls on Nov. 11 – whose date is four ones – is celebrated by many young, single Chinese.

The tradition started at Nanjing University in 1993 and soon became popular among universities in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. Later, Singles Day became a festival celebrated by fashionable single people all over the country. Single people would gather for dinner and pay for themselves to show their independence.

Nowadays, more and more single people who have passed the average marriage age join in the celebrations. Those single people, who are called “leftover” men and women, usually find singledom to be joyful. Many young people are now delaying marriage as well. The Nanjing Civil Affairs Authority found that the average marrying age has risen five years since an unspecified time, from between 20 and 24 to 25 and 29.

As much as single people use the day to proudly announce their identities, Singles Day is still an occasion for them to find a partner. Many people go on blind dates in the hopes of meeting their future partners.

Singles Day became China's "Black Friday" shopping spree when Alibaba Group, operator of e-commerce platforms Taobao and Tmall, launched its first sales campaign on Nov 11, 2009.

According to independent digital marketing data analysis company AdMaster, Chinese consumers will spend on average 1,800 yuan ($295) per person during Double Eleven Shopping Festival. Almost 40 percent respondents expect to spend more than 1,000 yuan on the day.