Long Hongxiang's role gives her a profound influence over romantic prospects for the village's young singles
Matchmaker Long Hongxiang can’t remember exactly when she is born, but thinks she is about 98 years old.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Matchmaker Long Hongxiang, seen here in Lower Qiantan, China, Jan. 14, 2013. China’s changing demographics are making her job harder.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Matchmaker Long Hongxiang says she has arranged more than 100 marriages over the course of her career.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Matchmaker Long Hongxiang says romantic attraction isn’t part of her calculation. “I don’t worry about whether love will result. That can be fostered after the couple is married.”John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Even with the matchmaking business getting harder, Grandma Long says she’ll never retire – because her work is also the secret of her longevity.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
“I have no demands. I’ll accept any woman I can find,” said Wu Jinsong, a 24-year-old who was gathering firewood recently in the mountains around Lower Qiantan.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
The village of Lower Qiantan, China, a place that modernity, in the form of a few mobile phones, is only now starting to touch. Internet dating isn’t an option here; no one in town owns a computer.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail