Online dating fast becoming commonplace Social attitudes about remarriage are changing in China, and society is more supportive of older people remarrying Unlike in the past, China's elderly and middle-aged singles are turning to modern technology Over two decades after his divorce, Wang Rulin, 62, decided it was time to give marriage another chance. It only took two weeks for the retiree, a former auxiliary police officer from Jiangsu province in eastern China, to find someone he believed could be a suitable partner. "We've been chatting happily online and are seeing each other after the Lunar New Year. She is nine years younger than me and has a good pension scheme. Of course, she is healthy," he said. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.  © Provided by [...]

Last week, as shutdowns and shelter-in-place orders became increasingly common, a mysterious Google Form circulated among students at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business: “Love Is Blind, Bschool Edition.” The name was inspired by the hit Netflix show where couples talk in isolated pods and subsequently get engaged without seeing each other. The rules are simple: Make a fake email address and tell the creators the business school you attend, your sexual orientation, and your gender identification. The creators randomize that information and set up a match, introducing a pair to each other for email correspondence via the fake address; after a week, texting or video is permitted. Welcome to dating and sex during the coronavirus pandemic. Dating apps have struggled; after all, the whole point of dating is to physically meet someone. Match—the company behind online dating giants Tinder and OkCupid—has seen stocks tumble 25%, and had to balance public health with mission statements. You can read [...]