This should have been a quick piece of information - but a snap COVID lockdown forced a Chinese woman to live with her blind date at her home for days on end.
The 30-year-old woman, who is recognized only by her surname Wang, went on a blind date on January 6 to cook a homemade meal in her hometown of Zhengzhou, a city in central China battling the coronavirus outbreak. Used to be.
"I am getting old now, my family introduced me to 10 matches," she said in a video on social media.
"Fifth Date wanted to show off her cooking skills and invited me over for dinner at her house."
Neighborhood lockdown
When Wang was about to go home after a meal, she learned that the entire neighborhood was rapidly under lockdown, she said.
China regularly shuts down communities after COVID infections are detected among residents.
These sudden lockdowns - along with mass testing and extensive quarantines - are part of the country's rigorous zero-Covid strategy to quickly stamp out local outbreaks.
Unable to leave, Wang was stuck at her date's house for several days. She posted videos of their unexpected co-life experience on social media, which showed her cooking for him, sweeping the floor and working on her laptop.
The video quickly went viral, with Wang's encounter becoming a top trending topic on China's Twitter-like platform Weibo.
Wang had recently returned to Zhengzhou from the southern city of Guangzhou before the Lunar New Year, and spent a week meeting potential suitors set up for him by his family, she told state-run news outlet The Paper on Tuesday.
“During the quarantine, I think everything else about him is great, apart from being reticent like a wooden mannequin.
He cooks, cleans the house and works. Although her cooking isn't great, she's willing to spend time in the kitchen, I think it's great," she told The Paper.
'I hope the pandemic ends soon'
In Wang's video, her date is seen serving stir-fry meals such as tomatoes and scrambled eggs – a popular dish in China.
Wang said in a post on Monday that he had hidden his original video from his account after it went viral.
"I'm at that man's house right now. He is an outspoken, honest person and does not talk much. After my video trended (on Weibo), some friends started calling him - I think it affected his life. So I removed it,” she said.
"Thank you everyone for your attention... I hope the pandemic ends soon and unmarried girls can find a relationship soon."
As of Thursday, it's unclear whether Wang is still staying at her date's home.
Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, has reported more than 100 COVID-19 cases in its ongoing outbreak.
Authorities on Tuesday closed all non-essential businesses, such as beauty salons, restricted dine-in at restaurants and suspended buses and taxis in high-risk areas.