Whether it be Tsingtao's Chung Shan Park, Suchow's Tiger Hill, or the coffee bars of Shanghai--all have been witness to the same scene: a group of Taiwanese men from across the sea and a group of native young women, chatting as they stand or sit, the men perhaps talking confidently about Taiwan and the women stressing their unique experiences on the mainland . . . .

This is one of the activities arranged by a matchmaking agency that operates on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Since visits to relatives on the mainland have been allowed, the fervent exchanges of various commodities, household appliances, food stuffs and so on, has been like a gushing tap with the mainland satisfying orders received from Taiwan. Sensingan opportunity, the matchmaking companies immediately expanded their services to become matchmakers across the Straits.

Supply and Demand: A number of figures can show how the tide of exchange between men and women has grown across the Straits. In the six months since the Straits Exchange Foundation was founded, enquiries concerning the law on marriage have increased without halt, already reaching more than 800 two months ago.

When, two years ago, the Taipei courts began taking applications for special identity certificates, the only use for which was to get a marriage certificate on the mainland, they issued less than ten a day. Bureau of Entry and Exit in the first half of this year have received some fifty cases of people who have married mainlanders and have applied for entry for their spouses.

According to national security regulations there are still restrictions concerning mainlanders coming to Taiwan. Since visits to relatives have been allowed, a decision by the Mainland Affairs Council of the Executive Yuan stipulated that applications for residence for mainland spouses could only be made after two full years of marriage or where there are already children. And there is still a quota restriction of 120 a year.

"Simply speaking, it is supply and demand," says Hsu Nai-i, whose Chungli Marital Bliss Service Center in August of last year became the first company to take a group of men to the mainland. He can say this because when the mainland Kunming Daily published a number of notices originally intended by his company for domestic use, more than 200 responses were received within three or four days.

Losers in the Taiwan Marriage Market: Following the Chungli Marital Bliss Center, the Straits Matchmaking Center and the Hunan Women for Marriage have appeared. Some travel agents have also got their finger in the pie saying they deal in "travel first, with matchmaking thrown in extra." Some unscrupulous firms even urge customers to "bring back a mainland girl for NT$50,000."

Such businessmen already have working connections or relatives in the mainland to start with. For example, Chang Hsin-wu, the manager of a matchmaking agency in Taipei, is from Tsingtato. Through friends and relatives on the mainland he collected details and photographs of more than 400 women from Tsingtao, Shanghai and Suchow. He also went to the mainland himself and used a small video camera so that the women could introduce themselves for examination by clients.

Chang Chiu-jen, originally the manager of a transport company, after travelling to Hunan felt that it was an area with prospective spouses ripe for development. He established his matchmaking company and put out the Hunan Women for Marriage advertisement. There are more than a hundred photographs of smiling Hunan women on the wall as you enter his bureau and he claims to work closely with the marriage bureau for young people in Changsha, as well as the television station.

Perhaps due to the distance between the economic and political situations on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, there is not much interest among Taiwanese women in going to the mainland for marriage. Because of this, the matchmaking agencies mainly deal with Taiwanese men looking for mainland women--and they tend to be men whose position is weak in the Taiwan market.

Hsu Nai-i says quite frankly that among his first group there were builders, peddlers and peasants. No matter whether it is their academic record or some other factor, they cannot compete in the Taiwan marriage market. Chang Hsin-wu also points out that some of the people who come to his bureau are quite old or have some disadvantage in their appearance (such as being short), or have introverted personalities. They have also mostly experienced disappointments and frustrations and have lost any hope of finding a spouse in Taiwan.

A Man from Taiwan?: The wishes of such men naturally turn to the mainland where the women are of the same language and race.

Because it is so difficult to find a wife in Taiwan, the number of men seeking a mainland woman has increased and their characteristics have changed. Thus Chang Hsin-wu's earlier customers were people who could go and stay in the mainland comparatively easily, such as businessmen, overseas-Chinese and old soldiers; over recent months, however, their ages have become thirty-five to forty years; in every age group men plan to take brides home. His more than fifty members include soldiers, bureaucrats, teachers, peasants, businessmen and so on.

"Mainland women have a simple appearance; they can take hardship, and have traditional Chinese values. They are not so arrogant and are easy to get along with; not like Taiwanese women who boss you around and give you a headache . . ." says Lin Po-sheng, a 35-year-old businessman.

Lin cannot find enough words to praise the advantages of mainland women. "As long as you know how to find them, the mainland has beautiful women with traditional morals," he says. Having failed a number of times in his relationships with Taiwanese women, Lin is at present enthusiastically taking part in the activities of the matchmaking bureau. Chang Ch'iu-jen describes him as "someone who just has to marry a mainland girl."

What about the mainland girls? What do they see in Taiwanese men? "They are very generous, experienced, neat dressers, more thoughtful and can look after the girls . . ." according to Lin Po-sheng, who adds franklythat it is also their good economic situation that brings them a number of advantages. "Nobody wants you in Taiwan--in the mainland you're a man," says a blacksmith from Keelung, who is already almost at the marriage stage, quoting from a humorous slogan.

Mainland Women Dropping Standards?: Mainland women like Taiwanese men. Life for such women is hard at home and they are in an inferior economic position, so the opportunity to go abroad is an important factor in going to Taiwan; the condition and compatibility of individuals becomes a secondary consideration. Many mainland women stipulate that they want a spouse with foreign residency and passport. Many of them are qualified and professional teachers, nurses or university students. Outwardly, judging by their photographs, they tend to be above average in appearance. In comparison the Taiwanese men tend to be crawlers who have only attended high school and are not of outstanding appearance. Chang Hsin-wu reveals that in the two marriages brought about by his bureau, the women have been of higher status than the men in both.

The pioneer of the marriage market, Hsu Naii, closed down his TaoyuanBliss Center after only one venture. He says it was actually very difficult to manage matchmaking across the Straits. One aspect is the distance, which makes it impossible for both partners to get to know each other in natural circumstances. Going to the mainland takes time and costs at least NT$20-30,000 a time--steady spending which no one can afford. You just rely on one or two visits and stay for a month or two, and then you have to decide.

"The dangers of 'instant marriage' increase with its speed," he points out. Moreover, legal constraints mean that after marriage the bride cannot come to Taiwan quickly, so the most basic requirement of marriage -- cohabitation--is not present. How can you talk about a happy home?

An Inescapable Problem: Chiu Ying, a lawyer who deals with both Taiwan and the mainland, cannot agree with the development of the matchmaking agencies. She feels that making friends is alright, but finding a spouse when the political situation is still not open is going too far. Moreover, the two sides have been separated for forty years, and there are great differences in their thought, values and economies. "A lot of anticommunists have come to Taiwan and married Taiwanese women only to get divorced. We should ask them why." She strongly questions what those Taiwanese men who seek mainland brides have to offer, apart from exploiting their economic advantages to delude people in a closed society.

[Picture Caption]

Mainland women are looking for marriage partners in Taiwan. These are some promotional ads put out by a matchmaking agency in Taiwan.

Matchmaking companies across the Straits use all kinds of gimmicks, such as videos of mainland women talking about themselves for their customers to examine.

Mainland women are unaffected and traditional, making them attractive to Taiwanese men. (photo by Chen Hsi)

Matchmaking companies across the Straits use all kinds of gimmicks, such as videos of mainland women talking about themselves for their customers to examine.

Mainland women are unaffected and traditional, making them attractive to Taiwanese men. （photo by Chen Hsi）