Wang Wenqing, 25, is a bachelor from Shanghai who works as a management consultant.

It was a very random decision to take part in If You Are the One. After watching several episodes one night in late April, it looked like a lot fun, so I decided to have a try myself and filled out an application online.

It wasn't long before I got a call from the production team to verify my background information and invite me to the studio in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, for an interview.

There, they repeatedly asked me about my views on life, love and marriage. I guess they just wanted to make sure I wouldn't blurt out anything unexpected on the show.

We filmed the show on June 5 and everything went smoothly. I invited all my would-be girlfriends on a round-the-world trip and showed them a roadmap I'd made. I figured there was a 0.8-percent chance the woman I took out on a date would be the woman I spent the rest of my life with.

Only two women of the 24-strong panel switched off their lights (an indication that they are not interested) after my opening gambit and I almost became the first bachelor to win a holiday to Hawaii since the program started.

According to the rules, if a man loses no more than two lights and then goes on to find a successful match, the couple win a romantic vacation to the island. However, after I survived all the trials and was asked to choose the girl I wanted to go on a date with, I took a risk by asking a woman who had already switched off her light.

I chose Shi Xi, a 29-year-old airline company manager, but she eventually rejected me because of the age difference, although she said she was 95-percent satisfied with my background.

I do regret the result a little but I liked her because of her gentle voice and a particular question she raised that I thought was impressive.

Although I never expected to meet Miss Right, everything I experienced on the show was real. I never met Shi before, as the men are separated from the women backstage.

For me, it still felt like a romantic encounter, even if it was on the stage and watched by an audience of people.