Title: Going Solo: An Analysis of China’s ‘Single Economy’ through the Date-renting Industry
Abstract: The paper explores "unchartered territory" -China's growing "single economy" through a case study of date-renting, that has, in recent decades, become a thriving business in Chinese society.Section I outlines China's changing demographics and the scholarship centred on the rising "single" population.Section II clarifies the concept of the "single economy" and the theoretical approach for this study.It shows an increasing number of businesses have developed new products and services to target the "single market" in China.Section III introduces the research methods for this study.Through a close examination of various daterenting websites, section IV unfolds the logic of date-renting operations and the strategic presentations of "date-traders" online.It argues that the boundary between "emotion" and "capitalism" has become increasingly blurred as these two seemingly opposing forces are now converging, constituting a unique phenomenon in China's "single economy".This manifests as an economically-moulded dating culture intertwined with new, intricate social and personal relationsa by-product of China's demographic shifts and rapidly growing market economy.