Singles Day in China is the celebration — or mourning — of being unattached. Started by students in Nanjing in the mid-1990s, the date was selected in observation of its four solitary digits: 11/11.
While relatively obscure in most other countries, Singles Day is likely to increase in prominence as more single men in China are unable to find female partners. According to a recent study by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, more than 24 million Chinese men could find themselves without spouses by 2020.
Celebrating Singles Day comes in many forms across the Asian nation, and like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, it has become a multi-million dollar industry.