Thousands Answer Chinese Girl’s Ad for Boyfriend

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - So many men, so little time.

When a university student in China placed an ad for a boyfriend, she probably thought she'd meet a few eligible bachelors but never did she dream that scores of potential beaus would respond.

Zhang Mengqian's ad had two simple requests: show up outside her dormitory on a specified date and shout her name, The Guardian reported. The young woman's message was among those on a "wish wall" at the University of Electronic Science and Technology in Sichuan province.

Zhang wrote: "My name is Zhang Mengqian, a grade one student. I think I am attractive, but strangely I can't find a boyfriend. However I believe in destiny. If you have the same wish, please come under my dormitory building and shout for my name between 12:30 and 12:50 on March 11, 2010 and I will observe you secretly up on the building.

"If you're my type, I'll come down to meet you."

Thousands responded, although only a few called out Zhang's name. The massive turnout may not be so strange if you consider the university has a male-to-female ratio of 25:1. The school has more than 20,000 students.

The University of Electronic Science and Technology's girls' day was surprisingly low tech. The wish wall contained messages written on old-fashioned paper.

Perhaps feeling a little overwhelmed, Zhang did not leave her dorm room.

Personal ads have been around for centuries but if Zhang had gone the tech route, she would have had plenty of company. Online dating in her country could be worth more than $80 million this year, according to Chinese technology company iResearch .

Dating services have proven to be one of the few recession-proof businesses. Research firm IBISWorld statistics found that online dating services is a $1 billion industry in the United States.