Chinese Internet culture --- celebration for Singles Day

Do you know there is an "important" festival for young Chinese (mainlanders) this week? Even an expert of Chinese could not give the right answer. Because it is a new festival and only Chinese---- a part of Chinese celebrate it. But it sounds so "international" that I used to think American also celebrate it. It is on the 11th of Nov, Singles Day or Bachelors Day. The reason that 11.11 is the Singles Day is that 1 means single and there are a few of singles on the number of date which is the date with the most single lines of whole year. Moreover, bachelors also mean single lines or tubes in Chinese. Therefore, people use 11.11 as a represent of singles.

From its name, you can easily catch the main point of this festival, a day for Bachelors. However, I have to say that I have not figure out what is real meaning of the festival. From the Wikipedia, I found this festival started from 1990s, by 4 roommates (singles) in a university having a big party for themselves on 11.11. However, these beginners did not make a clear definition of this festival, so the meaning of this festival is various from person to person in China.

China is a developing countries. "Developing" means everything in China is changing over time, especially people's thoughts. The people with old ideas, like some parents, assume that people should get married as soon as possible. They always "fly around" young people who are simple and said something like:"Where, when could I see my grandchild?" or "To be a single one, or not? It is a command!" Their words to the younger without boyfriends or girlfriends,"Are you going to celebrating the Singles Day, this year?" is more like a kind of "irony," which means,"You are still a bachelor this year!" (Chinese talking wisdom)

To some singles, Singles Day is just their Black Friday. The words from relatives becomes nails to crucify them on the cross named "BACHELORS." As a result, some people choose 11.10, the day before Singles Day, to profess their hiding loves, just because they do not want to be singles on Singles Day. Some other people hold some parties for single boys and girls on Singles Day (They call the parties "Celebrating Singles Day") and some people may just come for trying their luck to avoid celebrating this festival next year.

However, there are still some people with different new ideas about this festival. Just like me, I am a single one, but I do not feel any uncomfortable to be a single. I even feel free, since I do not have to lift the packages, do not have to call someone at least once a day, and I do not have to be worried if I do not follow the rules setting by girls. (If you really love Chinese girls, be careful. They would be angry about you, maybe just due to one missing phone call). In my mind, Singles Day is a day to get-together with fellows and have fun to claim our freedom. By the way, there are still a group of people called FFF(Fire, Fire, Fire) on the Internet to celebrate this festival by a different way. In their eyes, the couples always throw flashbomb like the behavior of kissing in public. Therefore, once a couple posts their loves on online. They will just follow by "Fire," and some of the controllers of BBS may just blocks the couples to make this world "clean."

FFF

Unlike traditional festivals, the development of Singles Day is mainly due to new media----the Internet. When single ones make complaints about life, he or she may firstly post it online. Ma Yun, the CEO of Taobao, the biggest shopping platform online in China, saw the big market of Singles Day. He decided to use this new festival. He told the sellers on Taobao to have a 50% discount on some of their goods on Nov. 11th for 24 hours. He said that since we are all ones, not twos, why not enjoy shopping the goods with only one second discount. He is very smart, his decision lead to the photos on the right. There are so many packages shipping after Nov. 11th that people have to walk in the "sea" of package. One of his success is that he clearly saw the differences between traditional festivals and this new festival. For traditional culture, Chinese usually have a big meal with all their family members at traditional festival, so people do not have enough time to shop online. Singles Day is a festival only celebrate by youngsters online. Singes day is just a excuse to attract customers.

I feel so strange why Americans do not have any festivals for singles. There are so many singles on earth. They are a huge power of the world. In addition, I predict that 20 years later, most of the people in the world will accept this festival and maybe you and your children could have a fierce argument about how to celebrate this festival, because of the effect of the globalization.