Single residents under the age of 60 will be welcome at a matchmaking party to be held in Shanghai's Qingpu district from Nov 9 through 11.

It is the first time the age bar for guests has been raised from 35 to 60, said Yang Ying, a spokeswoman for the annual matchmaking party, which is jointly held by Shanghai Women's Federation, Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau and the publicity department of Shanghai Party Committee.

"We want to cater to the need of people in various age groups. Some of the middle-aged who are divorced or have lost their spouses are also seeking love and marriage," Yang said.

Different sectors will be marked according to the participants' age range so guests can find their target areas quickly.

It is the fourth year for the matchmaking party to be held in the municipality since it was launched in 2011. Nearly 100,000 people took part in the last three parties.