In a typical arranged marriage in China, a family with a son or daughter of suitable age would engage a matchmaker, who would cast his or her net for potential candidates and conduct the necessary background checks on their reputation and character, as well as the social status and financial position of their families.

Are Matchmakers real in China?

Chinas matchmaking tradition stretches back more than 2,000 years, to the first imperial marriage broker in the late Zhou dynasty. The goal of matchmakers ever since has usually been to pair families of equal stature for the greater social good.