Singles Day (China)

Singles Day (China) History

Singles Day is a Chinese holiday that celebrates being single. In the Chinese language, Singles Day is called Guanggun Jie or bare sticks holiday, which relates to his celebration day of November 11 (or 11/11). Today, it is the biggest commercial holiday in the world with over $14.3 billion dollars spent on November 11, 2015.

Singles Day was originally established in 1993 by university students at Nanjing University in China as a celebration of singles marked by purchasing gifts and going out for parties.  As the holiday developed, Chinese e-commerce company, Alibaba, the largest online commerce company in the world, saw an opportunity and in 2009, began to promote Singles Day as a shopping celebration. Alibaba and other retailers began to heavily promote purchasing gifts for yourself on this day and so began the current holiday trend of shopping to celebrate being romantically unattached.

Singles Day (China) Facts & Quotes

• Within the first 6 minutes on November 11, 2013, Singles Day customers had already spent a whopping $164 million dollars.
• In China, 118 boys are born for every 100 girls.
• By 2020, it is expected that there will be 30 million more bachelors than single women.
• 46% of Chinese people under the age of 35 are not married.
• 11/11 is going global. Chinese consumers will be buying an unprecedented assortment of international brands and products from around the world. - Daniel Zhang, Alibaba CEO

Singles Day (China) Top Events and Things to Do

• Watch a movie about being single or becoming single. Some of our favorite picks: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), The Help (2011), Wild (2014) and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1998)
• Attend a speed dating event near you. Speed dating is a great way to meet new people and perhaps, by next Singles Day, you will no longer be romantically unattached.
• Celebrate Singles Day by purchasing a gift for yourself on ecommerce platform Alibaba, Amazon or on any site of your choosing. Keep an eye on the amazing sales and discounts that can be taken advantage of.
• Take advantage of the holiday to treat yourself with a spa day or a new hair do.
• Join the Singles Day movement on social media with hashtags such as #singlesday and #1111

Singles Day (China) References and Related Sites