Recently, a map of China's top ten gathering places for singles became an internet hit. The map has triggered extensive discussions among netizens.

近日，中国十大单身狗聚集城市的地图在网上走红。这张图片也引起了大众的热烈讨论。

Statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs show that there are nearly 200 million single people on the Chinese mainland, and more and more women voluntarily choose to be single. In 1990, 6 percent of the total population lived alone, while in 2013, the figure was 14.6 percent. From the map, we can see that Tianjin, Sichuan and Heilongjiang are the top three gathering places for singles in China.

来自于民政部的数据显示，中国大陆有近2亿单身人口，而且越来越多的女性自愿选择单身。1990年，只有6%的人口独居，而2013年独居人口高达14.6%。从地图上可以看出，天津、四川、黑龙江是中国独居人口最多的地区。

Why do so many people now choose to be single? Is it because true love is scarcer? The answer may be complicated. However, generally speaking, the trend of staying single has much to do with the following factors.

为什么越来越多的人选择单身呢？因为真爱太少见了？答案或许是很复杂的。但是，一般说来，单身潮流的兴起大致有以下几个因素。

First of all, women have become more economically independent, which is an important condition for doing away with male chauvinism and a patriarchal society. Economically independent women have changed women's dependence on men in love and marriage. Nowadays, women have the ability to plan their own lives.

第一，越来越多的女性开始经济独立，这是脱离大男子主义和男权社会的主要因素。女性经济独立改变了女性对于男性在爱情和婚姻方面的依赖。现在，女性有能力计划好自己的生活。

Secondly, information tools have changed people's interactions, including how men and women get along with one another. It is easier to establish social relations, and singles find no difficulty in acquiring intimate companions.

第二，信息交流工具改变了人们之间的联系，包括男女之间的相处方式。建立社会联系很简单，单身人士很容易和其他人建立密切的伙伴关系。

Thirdly, people's attitudes toward childbirth have changed. Marriage has historically been largely in service of carrying on the family line. Today, the birth rate of urban, white-collar women continues to reach new lows. Some women even try freezing their eggs to extend the possibility of childbearing. What's more, fewer and fewer people get married for the purpose of having children.

第三，人们对生育孩子的观念改变了。婚姻素来被认为是主要用来传宗接代的。但是今天，城市白领女性的生育率越来越低。一些女性甚至尝试冷冻卵子来延长生育孩子的期限。而且越来越少的人为了生育孩子才选择结婚。