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，中國(guó)十大單身狗聚集城市的地圖在網(wǎng)上走紅。這個(gè)圖片引起了大眾的熱烈討論。

　 　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.

　　來(lái)自于民政部的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，中國(guó)大陸有近2億單身人口，而且越來(lái)越多的女性自愿選擇單身。1990年，只有6%的人口獨(dú)居，而2013年獨(dú)居人口高達(dá)14.6%。從地圖上可以看出，天津、四川、黑龍江是中國(guó)獨(dú)居人口最多的地區(qū)。

　 　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.

　　為什么越來(lái)越多的人選擇單身呢？因?yàn)檎鎼?ài)太少見(jiàn)了？答案或許是很復(fù)雜的。但是，一般說(shuō)來(lái)，單身潮流的興起大致有以下幾個(gè)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，越來(lái)越多的女性開始經(jīng)濟(jì)獨(dú)立，這是脫離大男子主義和男權(quán)社會(huì)的主要因素。女性經(jīng)濟(jì)獨(dú)立改變了女性對(duì)于男性在愛(ài)情和婚姻方面的依賴。當(dāng)今，女性有能力計(jì)劃自己的生活。

　 　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，信息交流工具改變了人們之間的聯(lián)系，包括男女之間的相處方式。建立社會(huì)聯(lián)系很簡(jiǎn)單，單身人士很容易和其他人建立密切伙伴關(guān)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，人們對(duì)生育孩子的觀念改變了?；橐鏊貋?lái)被認(rèn)為是主要用來(lái)傳宗接代的。但是今天，城市白領(lǐng)女性的生育率越來(lái)越低。一些女性甚至嘗試?yán)鋬雎炎觼?lái)延長(zhǎng)生育孩子的期限。而且越來(lái)越少的人為了生育孩子才選擇結(jié)婚。