Chinese website holds competition to find brides for millionaires

A Chinese dating agency is holding a competition to find the perfect match for its millionaire members.

The competition has attracted huge attention in China where online dating is becoming one of the Internet's fastest-growing and most competitive industries, expected to be worth 120million pounds this year, The News reported.

Hopefuls from as far a field as Vancouver, Singapore, New York and Paris flew in to China last weekend to join local girls in the first round of auditions which saw an initial selection of 2,600 successful applicants being assessed on the basis of their weight, figures, education and age.

The identity of the millionaires has been kept secret, but their average age is 38 and, according to the site, all have self-made fortunes from a range of industries including textiles, finance and China's booming property market.

The men had all proved their financial bona fides by producing ownership documents for luxury villas, limousines, sports cars and private planes.

A financier from Shenzhen promised a Porsche to whichever woman proved herself a worthy match.

The brazen nature of such dating competitions, including similar events on Chinese provincial television, has raised concerns in China about society's obsession with money.