Working long hours at one of China’s biggest car plants, lovelorn Chen Tianxing had few opportunities to meet girls, and after attending three badly-organised match-making events he was beginning to lose all hope.

But under a bright yellow and red banner saying “Wuhan Communist Youth League hope you can quickly find your other half”, Mr Chen met a young nurse who would change his life.

The pair were among dozens of young singletons attending a blind date event organized by the Communist Youth League (CYL) in Wuhan, central China, two years ago.

Back then there were few such officially-organised dating events, but with growing numbers of young Chinese more interested in enjoying the fruits of a booming economy than settling down with a family, China’s Communist Party rulers have decided to play Cupid.