We all know about Valentine's Day but in China there is a special day to celebrate singleness, we're talking about Singles' Day, also known as "Anti Valentine's Day". This Chinese holiday began at Nanjing University as a celebration for single people during the 1990s.

Traditionally, there has been a sense of shame projected through Chinese culture towards adults who, by the age of twenty-five years or older, have not yet got married. This judgment is mainly found in the family but it prevails throughout the dominant culture, with higher levels of pressure on single women to find a partner and get married.

Singles' Day has become an important date for the younger generations in China, as it shows the tradition and pressure to get married. Even today, marriage markets exist in China, where the elderly get together with photos of their unmarried children and grandchildren in an attempt to "sell" them to other people with unmarried relatives. Singles' Day is about transforming this traditional norm, and changing cultural pressures, into a norm where singleness is celebrated and not punished.

Despite its popularity, Singles' Day is not an official holiday in China, although it is a time for getting together and socialising. It has also become one of the most popular shopping days in China. One of the biggest driving forces behind the image of the day is the idea of "self-care" and "self-gifting" for single people, moving away from the shame that has traditionally been attached to singles.

Nowadays, this has been commercialised by big brands. This annual event starts at midnight on 11 November and lasts for 24 hours. It is a shopping frenzy with great discounts and deals from main brands, independent restaurants and many other establishments.

In fact, great discounts can be found in all sectors, including education, food, electronics and fashion. On this day, purchases increase significantly in all sectors.

As Singles' Day has grown in importance in China and become the largest e-commerce day in the world, China and its economy as a whole have also gained importance and become a major influence for global consumers.

As you can see, Singles' Day in China has become a giant in the consumer world, a date that is more important on the Chinese calendar than Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Amazon Prime Day.

It began as a student movement against the pressures and traditions of a society that focused on the sanctity of marriage and the family, and has now become a frantic shopping day.