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The holiday season can make being single feel a little lonely. Even worse is having to travel and see couples at landmarks and under giant Christmas trees every turn you make. But if you are single and ready to mingle, consider traveling to China this November. Singles’ Day, also less commonly known as Bachelors’ Day, originated from various universities in Nanjing during the early 1990s. It is always on November 11th because there are four ones in the date “11/11”, which symbolizes an individual being alone. This holiday was taken into Chinese society upon graduation of the students who began this idea. The internet took off with this pop-culture inspired holiday and it spread to many regions outside of China.
So what should you expect on Singles’ Day? Well if you can’t make it all the way to China, you can still benefit from the perks of being single. It has become one of the largest online shopping days in the world since around 2013. Shopping promotions are highlighted all through China to encourage single folks to treat themselves. Purchasing a gift for yourself from the ecommerce platform Alibaba will have guaranteed sales and promotions. The holiday has become bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday. People in China are expected to spend about $277 in celebratory shopping, meals and events. In China, this day is an occasion for single people to party and enjoy being single with single friends. There are some universities in China that organized activities on this day to gather single people for celebration. Another way to get involved is on social media through the use of hashtags and sharing events you might go to.
Because this is a fairly new, pop-culture inspired holiday, there are not many set traditions that go along with it, but there are some. In the morning on Singles’ Day, it is common to eat four Youtiao, which are deep-fried dough sticks, to represent the four ones in the date. People will also eat one Baozi, a steamed stuffed bun, to represent the middle dot in “11.11”.
The perfect city in China to celebrate this day is Hong Kong. It is one of the easier cities in China to navigate because there are many bilingual locals and English signage. Hong Kong has many fun and upscale nightclubs along Lan Kwai Fong that are perfect for the singles this holiday. You will undoubtedly run into other travelers during your stay because it is such a booming city. Another great city in China to spend Singles’ Day is Hangzhou. This city is tranquil and and known for its legendary beautiful. There are tea-picking green tea plantations that offer a relaxing, serene experience. These two gorgeous cities in China are perfect for traveling alone.
This November is time to take some notes from the Chinese culture and embrace being single!
