相親相愛/礙 上海人民公園集體相親行為的邊界與治理

Abstract

本文從城市公園集體相親的行為和組織入手，探討相親角以城市公園的公共性作為其資訊傳播媒介的過程，進而闡述其中產生的公私界限交疊，以及官方和民間不同的治理策略。筆者選取上海人民公園相親角為研究對象，通過參與式觀察、訪談及介入經驗，佐以書籍報刊及網路資訊，檢視相親角十餘年來從志願紅娘、收費仲介到整治取締等各個階段的發展，從空間形式及攤位佈局等物質實體的分析出發，探究相親角內多樣的人員互動與社會網絡形式，並發現其中隱含的異質性個體以及相互之間的共識和邊界。此外，以各類特殊事件為依託，探尋民間及官方治理的合作與差異。 研究發現涉及三個面向。首先，作為自發組織形成的集體相親活動，相親角無論在空間實踐、人員構成，抑或是關係網絡上，都有著極大的靈活性和流動性，這是其生動景觀的源頭。其二，城市公園的公共屬性，與婚配嫁娶中相親環節的私密性，產生了巧妙的偏差與融合。同時，家長對子女婚姻的介入又給集體相親活動帶來另一層面的公私交疊。此外，在官方和民間對仲介行為及特殊事件的共同治理下，相親角內公私邊界的跨越則更趨複雜多元。其三，跳脫出相親角當下的空間論述，家長在城市公園對子女婚事的集體介入行為，也與上海城市公園建設的脈絡相接軌。21世紀初的中國城市，不僅為一眾家長齊聚公園相親提供實體環境條件，也正因應著外地家長的跨地照護以及本地爸媽對城區生活的眷戀，如今的相親不再是單純的社會資本交換，未來家庭的城市生活路徑以各種形式充斥在相親商談之中。在這個意義上，相親角可以理解為家長個人以子女婚事為契機，對城市生活的因應策略。

Focused on Shanghai People’s park, this article discusses the behavior and interaction mechanisms of both individuals and groups to unveil the diversity in marriage corner, which is quite popular in Chinese urban parks nowadays. With urban park as a personal information platform, privacy and publicity overlapped and even tangled in marriage corner. And for authority and civil society, their management strategies about this dating fair also differ under the circumstance of urban park governance. Their cooperation and difference are emphasized by the discussion of some irregular events. This article uses observation, interview and participation as main research methods. Besides, books, news and Internet information are also referred to for backtracking the marriage corner’s development thorough these ten years, during which matchmakers and intermediary agents were suppressed. There are three findings in this article. First, as a spontaneous gathering, marriage corner outstands in its flexibility and mobility, especially in participants’ backgrounds, spatial practice, and relationship network. Second, the public urban park and private dating always confront and conflict with each other. And the involvement and dominance of parents in children’s marriage brings marriage corner another level of struggle, which becomes more complex when it comes to its authority and civil governance. Besides, the gathering of parents in urban park to push children into marriage is telling another story: the thrive of marriage corner accidentally matches the publicize and management of Shanghai urban park. In the beginning of 21st century, Chinese city not only provides the physical space for parents gathering, but also shapes the basic concern in this marriage fair. Those Shanghainese, both in the moment, in future or in past, are drawn into the planning of family life in urban through their dedication in children’s marriage arrangements.