China is facing what’s being called the “Fourth Wave of Singledom”, brought on by economic development and the increased independence of the country’s women.

There are currently around 200 million single adults in China, more than the populations of Germany, the UK and France combined. 

It’s just the latest recurrence of a trend against tying the knot that began almost 70 years ago. 

Shortly after the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, the “First Wave of Singledom” emerged in the 1950s, when the country’s first marriage law finally enabled women to file for divorce, an offer some were eager to take up.  

The 1970s saw a second wave, when educated young men and women - sent to the countryside from the city under a government policy - were allowed to return home. In many cases, they had found a spouse during their time in the countryside, but decided to start afresh – and divorced – in the city. 

Then, in the 1990s, China’s opening and reform opened up not only the economy, but also the nation’s minds. As people began to question traditional family values, they concluded that marriage wasn’t necessarily the be all and end all. 

Now the latest wave has come amid the emergence of a middle class, as well as increased access to education.

The one-child policy empowered women in an unforeseen way: a family’s financial resources, formerly channeled into a son’s advancement, were now focused on the only child, irrespective of gender. Women started becoming more educated, and consequently more financially independent. Ultimately, this afforded them the luxury of being able to wait for Mr. Right. 

What do you do, when you’re happily single but your parents just won’t get off your back about it? This is a problem many young people in China are facing today. Over 60 percent of men and 80 percent of women are now entering “late marriages” – deemed to be at an age of over 23 for women and 25 for men. Their parents, however, are in many cases anything but pleased about the situation. 

Then there are those who confront the challenge head-on. One group of young people is dedicated to persuading parents to rethink their stance. They are the “Anti-Marriage Pressure Union”, and they caught the public eye with an advert posted in the Beijing underground during Chinese New Year 2016.

The advert addressed the parents directly, telling them not to worry, with the message: “Singles can lead a happy life, too.”