A Match Made in Heaven?

Today I took a tour of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. The grounds are beautiful, well-kept, and contain so much history. Only the Emperor of the time was allowed to conduct ceremonies there because they were seen as God on Earth. However, it has been open  to the public since the end of the last Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty.

Besides the grounds and the structure of the Temple itself, one of the most endearing things about my visit there was the buzz of activities that go on. From women doing dance exercises (Tai Chi); men playing Chinese Chess; elders writing out poems on the floor in Chinese calligraphy; and my favorite – the  matchmaking section!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upon exiting at the East Gate, I noticed throngs of people standing around and from far away, it seemed as though they were crowded around something. Walking closer, my tour guide explained that it’s a place where parents and grandparents come with descriptions of their kids or grandkids, in hopes of making a match with a nice boy or girl. Well hell – how exciting! Potential love in action!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Men and women walking by will read the various descriptions and decide on whether they seem like a good match.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If so, they will talk to the person who has brought the “advertisement” and decide on whether to put the two youngsters in touch. In this picture below, a “matchmaker” is flipping through an album filled with pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does it work all the time? Probably not, but who know? It might be a match made in heaven! (And wouldn’t that be fitting, given the location and all?!)

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