Set in China, where eligible men outnumber women by over 30 million, The Dating Game is the story of Zhou, Li, and Wu. These three bachelors embark on a seven-day dating camp led by Hao, one of China’s most sought-after dating coaches. In their last-ditch effort to find love, the bachelors chuckle and bond as Hao makes them over, altering how they look and act online—and in real life. It’s all part of Hao’s signature “strategic deception,” a series of techniques designed to, purportedly, make humans connect. Hao’s credentials? He successfully wooed Wen, a stylish, educated city-girl—a real catch who is now his wife. As our three bachelors stumble through the camp’s awkward challenges, they try to make sense of their authentic and constructed selves, and find the self-confidence they need to land that date. The Dating Game is, on the surface, a whimsical romp through courtship in the digital age, but it also reveals the social challenges that leave us questioning how we seek human connection.

The Dating Game was supported through Violet's 2024 Chicken & Egg Award