More than a decade after Ikea tried to kick them out, the raucous Shanghai pensioners' matchmaking group that gathers weekly in the furniture store's cafeteria is still very much alive and kicking.
Every Tuesday, hundreds of elderly lovebirds take over most of the tables in the chain's spacious canteen, shunning the classic Swedish meatballs for their own tea, snacks and even booze brought from home.
Faced with empty nests and changing social structures as China's population ages, they have turned the store into an unlikely dating site.
"There's nothing embarrassing about saying it. It's not only young people who need love," said an impeccably made-up retired nursing home director, Qingqing.
The atmosphere - and noise level - was more like a high school cafeteria.
Glossy fur and leopard print mingled with leather baseball caps and mirrored sunglasses, as some sat giggling and chatting and others roamed the room flirting.
High-spirited pensioners passed around tangerines, tea and occasional cheap alcohol, littering tables with peels and nutshells.
Among the more than 297 million people aged 60 or more in China, a quarter are single, according to official data.
While multigenerational households were the norm in the past, many elderly now live on their own.
In a 2016 survey by Beijing's Renmin University, a quarter of over-60s said they experienced loneliness.
"I'm lonely all the time. I feel life is very boring at my age I always wanted a partner," said Gu Yijun, a retired coach driver.
The 73-year-old regularly travels an hour and a half to come to the meet-ups but was sanguine about his chances of success.
"It's also a way to relax and have fun," he said. "It's much better than facing the mirror alone at home, seeing only myself."
The group has met at Ikea for more than 10 years, although no one seems quite sure how it all started. There appears to be no clear organizer, with most saying they had heard about the gathering from friends.
Qingqing's friend Xu Yizhen said Ikea's affordability "suits us better."
Initially, the company was less than delighted. Its attempts to get rid of them have been widely reported since 2011. It assigned extra security, roped off seating areas and put up a sign urging them to disband, reports said.
Tensions appear to have cooled off considerably since then.
Staff recently did not raise an eyebrow when a man in a teddy-bear-patterned suit wandered around smoking and trying to make people do shots of whisky.
Ikea "would like to provide a place where they can feel at home and meet with friends," a representative said.
Ikea is not the only seniors' dating hotspot in the city.
Some spend Tuesdays in Ikea, then head to People's Park at weekends, joking that they have "tight schedules."
On a cold Sunday in the park, some familiar faces swaddled in thick cotton clothes introduced themselves and chatted.
The more introverted stood at the edge of the group, waiting to be approached.
The chances of finding true love in either location are difficult to gauge.
"It's unlikely you'll find [a nice partner in Ikea] because good men and bad men are mixed here," said Qingqing.
Painter Li Shiqi, a regular for 10 years, bemoaned the fact that people's standards were "quite high. I heard from others that the success rate here is less than 3 percent."
Li did finally get lucky last month, although his paramour is now traveling.
"We had a little crush on each other because of her good looks and relatively young age," the 74-year-old said. "If we are ready to begin a romantic relationship, when she comes back, we will be together."
Li Shiqi
