Official criticized for appearing on dating show

A township official has responded to public skepticism over his appearance on a popular dating show, insisting he took part in the program in a bid to find love and not to seek fame as some netizens have suggested.

Dai Bin, deputy head of Tiangong township government in Southwest China's Sichuan province, appeared on the popular dating show, If You Are the One, on Saturday night. It is rare for government officials to take part in such a show.

On the show, single men present themselves to 24 single women. If the women are attracted to them, the men can take them for a girlfriend.

Dai failed to win the heart of any of the 24 single women during the 12-minute "presentation". He attributed his lack of success to his age - he is 38 - and the fact he works in a rural region.

But netizens have questioned his motives for appearing on the show, suggesting he only took part to publicly declare how devoted he was to his work because that was all he spoke about on air.

Dai told the Oriental Morning Post on Saturday that he could not be too talkative during the show because as a government official, he thought it necessary to behave in a sensible manner.

"I am just a grassroots-level official working in the rural region and I don't need to win any fame by attending such a TV show," he was quoted as saying. "I just want to look for my true love through the show and get married as soon as possible."