A matchmaker is important in three ways.

Firstly, as Confucianism gradually attained a dominant position in social ideology, people began to impose heavy instructions on the contacts between unmarried men and women. Since parents wished to arrange their children’s marriages based on comparable conditions in social status, physical appearance and betrothal gifts/dowry, a matchmaker would become a necessary tool for them to learn more about their prospective sons-in-law and daughters-in-law.

Secondly, ancient Chinese considered marriage as an important event which united two families. It functioned as a way of both paying respects to ancestors and having descendants. This way of thinking was reflected in the realization of an arranged marriage. A matchmaker played an important role in each step of the making of the marriage. It was matchmakers who made a marriage lawful and worthy of social sanction in ancient times.

Thirdly, one of the characteristics of feudal society in China was that moral principles were consistent with the law. There were official matchmakers and private matchmakers. Official matchmakers had a function similar to the present-day marriage registration division of the Civil Service Department. They provided legal recognition of a marriage. Later on, private matchmakers became popular and held the same authority as official matchmakers.