Shanghai’s Top Bachelors and Bachelorettes
For the romantically unattached, Valentine’s Day has a nasty habit of driving one into a self-questioning pit of lonely despair. Luckily singletons, there are plenty of good-looking and successful fish currently swimming in Shanghai’s sea. Just in time for February’s day of love, TALK got out the trusty fishing pole for a little catch and release.
Chris Busschaert
Age: 46
Job: Executive Pastry Chef at The Waldorf Astoria
From: Kortrijk, Belgium
Horoscope: I’m Sagittarius, 100 per cent. I’m adventurous. I just go for it. That’s me!
Hobbies: Driving motorcycles, fast ones. I also like snowboarding and skydiving. And I’ve been doing Muay Thai boxing for 20 years.
Hidden talents: I speak Flemish, French, Dutch, Thai, Tagalog and English. And I know bad words in Shanghainese.
What he looks for in a woman: A beautiful smile and long hair. She has to be easygoing, the sporty type and someone who loves to travel and is independent. Smart girls do a lot for me.
Best way into his heart: Not through my stomach! Just being there for me is really important.
Deal breakers: Smoking. I don’t smoke, so if they do, then our futures won’t match. Also, if she’s too lazy. Relaxing is a part of life, but if she has no goals or motivation.
Why he’s still single: I travel a lot because of work, which makes it not very easy to find someone.
Kenneth Tan
Age: 33
Job: Coordinator, ShanghaiPRIDE and Editor At Large, Shanghaiist.com
From: Singapore
Horoscope: Capricorn. I've never actually quite known what my horoscope is supposed to say about me! Don't quite believe this hocus pocus!
Why he moved to Shanghai: I needed to explore somewhere new, so I came to Shanghai in 2003 with a backpack and a one-way ticket.
Hidden talents: My hidden talent is in my pants and let's keep it that way for now.
What he looks for in a man: Someone who doesn't take himself too seriously, has a nice smile, a sense of humour and can put up with my shit.
Worst pick-up line he’s ever received: "Can I be your friend?" – I notice it's used a lot here and it's just the biggest turn-off!
Best way into your heart: By knowing what's going on in my mind.
Best way into your pants: Loads and loads of martinis.
Deal breakers: Bad breath and bad personal hygiene.
Why he’s still single: My cat takes up way too much of my time and he sleeps next to me every night anyways.
Charlie Mayer
Age: 40
Job: Cabaret at Chinatown and TV Host of ICS City Beat
From: Lancaster, England
Hidden Talents: Being able to cook with a cardboard box and a lemon and for it to taste okay. I can make food with astonishingly little, but it still can be yummy. My most recent success was everything that’s left in the fridge mashed potatoes. It was so beautiful that it was a success.
Turn-ons: I’m surprisingly practical when it comes to turn-ons. I like a girl who is graceful, but can also fix a drywall. Just someone who is really @#$%ing good at something.
Turn-offs: Indiscretion.
What he looks for in a woman: Elegant, graceful, clean and forgiving. And the minimum amount of covering up of myself that I have to do, the better.
Worst pick-up line he’s ever used: Fifteen years ago, I said, “God I wish I was straight” to a girl. It worked.
Best way into his pants: Bathroom gatecrash.
His thoughts on the dating scene: I think it’s remarkable that the dating scene in Shanghai is so damn complicated given that there are so many amazing people here.
Brandon Woods
Age: 28
Job: By day, I'm a lecturer at Shanghai University in Finance and Economics and at night I moonlight for Drunken Dragons Pub Crawl
From: Arizona, USA
Chinese horoscope: I’m a dog, which is loyal and honest. I come from a military family and those are two values that have always been instilled in me.
How he describes himself: Goofy, passionate and persistent
Hobbies: I’m really a nerd at heart. I like to play chess, read books, watch movies. I love the outdoors. I’m a huge soccer player, hiker and runner.
Hidden talents: I hate getting massages, but I love to give them and I’m really good at them. You can put me up against any of the massage parlours in Shanghai and I give the best massage.
Turn-ons: I absolutely love skirts. You could put a 500 pound girl in a skirt in front of me and I’d look twice.
Turn-offs: Negative Nancies
What he looks for in a woman: I’m an equal opportunity dater. Also, I hate complication, so someone who is straightforward and just a fun soul.
Greg Yam
Age: Fresh in the 30s
Job: Head of Shopper & Customer Marketing at Beiersdorf AG
From: I’m a pure-bred Hong Kong Chinese, so Hong Kong.
Hidden talents: I love art and always sketch when I get the chance. Anything else… you’ll have to find out yourself.
Turn-ons: An intelligent woman who can adapt to any situations is definitely a big turn-on.
Turn-offs: A woman who is not willing to accept other cultures and their differences, as well as huge mood swings, an absolute no go!
What he looks for in a woman: I like brunettes, someone with a sense of humour, honest, open, natural, easy-going like myself, is willing to take a risk, knows what she wants in her mind and is ready to start a relationship. That's not too much to ask for right?
Best way into his heart: Definitely a woman who appreciates me and understands why I do certain things for her and does not take me for granted for the nice things I do.
Brenna Vega
Age: 26
Job: High fashion buyer at The Villa
Horoscope: Leo/Rat
From: San Diego, USA
How she describes herself: I am a modern day hippie, super chill, but with a wild streak. I love a good party!
What she looks for in a man: Someone who has integrity foremost, I also like scruffy-looking men with a sense of humour who don’t take themselves too seriously.
Turn ons: I really like good manners; a guy who doesn’t eat with a knife and fork is an immediate turn off. A guy into live music is a turn on too.
Worst pick up line she’s ever received: Recently a guy said he could figure out my name in only three guesses.
Deal breaker: Someone who is cheap!
Her thoughts on the dating scene: Not so good; I think it’s hard for Western girls in Shanghai since a lot of men find it so easy to hook up with local women.
Why she is currently single: I was in a serious relationship, but ended it in May due to distance. However, I am now ready to bounce back!
Leslie Kuo
Age: 34
Job: Gallery Manager of Leo Gallery
Horoscope: Aquarius/Dragon; in other words, independent and strong!
From:Typical being the only Chinese-American family in town, I had a quaint New England upbringing filled with sledding, crafting and apple picking.
Hobbies: Trespassing
Why she moved to Shanghai: I moved here on a whim, as is the case with most choices made in my 20s.
What she looks for in a man: Nice hands, strong nose, minimal bullshit, quiet confidence. However, it's less about a list of characteristics and more about chemistry and timing.
Turn-offs: Guys who congratulate or denigrate themselves too much. Let me do that!
Best way to her heart: Be calm, self-assured, sincere and think outside the box. Have a sense of style. Be interesting. Be on the way to fulfilling your dream. Smell good.
Deal breakers: I find it really boring when people only talk about the concrete. I like hearing about people's dreams and aspirations, and their deepest, darkest secrets. Everything else is filler. Also, unless we're pals or in a committed relationship, I don't care to hear about your romantic history.
Julia Taylor
Age: 34
Job: Interior designer/Shanghai Dolls founder
Horoscope: Cancer/Dragon
From: Sydney, Australia
How she describes herself: I am both passionate and energetic, and love helping people.
Why she moved to Shanghai: I felt like I needed to grow as a person and Shanghai seemed a great place to help me do that.
What she looks for in a man: I used to have a very defined type, but now I go more for qualities that a guy possesses rather than if he fits that idea I have in my head of what he should look like.
Turn ons: Intelligence, ambition and someone who exercises as much as me.
Worst pick up line she’s ever used: Are you gay? Then why are you not talking to me? (I was obviously very drunk when I used that!)
Best way to her heart: Treat me like a lady; I can be very old fashioned when it comes to romance, so I love stuff like doors getting opened, flowers, etc.
Deal breakers: Smoking and/or cheating.
Alison Yeung
Age: Please do not ask a lady her age!
Job: Founder of Mary Ching, a footwear and accessories label based in Shanghai
Horoscope: A true Gemini; I am a horse so now you can start guessing my age...
From: Grew up all around the world.
How she describes herself: Creative, loyal, spontaneous.
Why she moved to Shanghai: To follow a dream to create my brand, or as my father would say, I had a sickness for shoes so I might as well make it into a disease.
What she looks for in a man: Green eyes please! Tall, creative businessman or entrepreneur... maybe in the art world?
Turn-ons: Cooking skills or bringing me tea in the mornings is a turn on, but bad shoes are definitely a turn off.
Worst pick up line she’s ever received: A man actually approached me with an 'Oi!' That conversation did not go very far...
Best way into her pants: Push me against the wall and kiss me!
Her thoughts on the dating scene: Avoid it like the plague.
Isobel Yeung
Age: 24
Job: TV host for ICS show Getaway and CCTV’s Travelogue
Horoscope: Scorpio/Tiger
From: UK and Hong Kong
How she describes herself: I have an abnormally large head.
Hobbies: Writing, travelling, pottery, yoga, dodgeball.
Why she moved to Shanghai: To look for work.
Turn-ons: A strong walk and snazzy dance moves.
Turn-offs: An inflated ego and shaved chest hair.
Best pick up line she’s ever received: Do you have any raisins? No? … What about a date then?
What she looks for in a man: Just a tall, dark, handsome guy with an unbelievably toned body, an awesome sense of humour, a creative mind, a generous spirit, a wacky style and an appreciation for everything I like… who can cook up a storm in the kitchen and who I can take home to my mother. Easy.
Best way to her heart: Make me laugh.
Deal breakers: Snoring (I need to sleep).
Her thoughts on the dating scene: Fun and fickle. And sleazy.
Why she is currently single: Because my knight in shining armour turned out to be a loser in silver foil!
