SINGAPORE – Popular Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan stars in We Get Married, the television series that deals with China’s blind-date culture and “leftover women” phenomenon.

But although Gao may be 34 and unmarried, there’s no need to assume she shares the same plight as her character. The star of such films as City Of Life And Death, Beijing Bicycle and Caught In The Web has been most famous lately for snagging dishy 29-year-old Taiwanese actor Mark Chao.

Even though she chose to keep mum about Chao, Gao hinted in an email interview that marriage was on the cards — eventually.

“At the moment, my parents aren’t giving me pressure in this department. I am also enjoying living with them very much because I know I will be entering marriage sooner or later, so I hope to spend more time with my parents during this limited period,” she said. “Marriage is something that will fall into place when the time is right, so there’s no need to be anxious about it.

“It’s a little better for me, being in this industry, because at least my parents don’t really give me pressure in this area. At most, I get questioned constantly by the media — they are more anxious than I am!”

Her idea of the perfect marriage is simple: “Two people must work hard at making marriage interesting. It can be simple, but it definitely should not be boring.”

Still, the Beijing-born actress says she can understand the initial plight of her character, a single career woman whose mother keeps setting her up with outrageous blind dates. “If you’re still single at 30, it’s easy to close yourself off and I have friends who have experienced this,” Gao said. “I haven’t been on a blind date myself, but I have a friend whose mother is always setting up blind dates for her. She wants to get married, but has never managed to find the right person and doesn’t know what to do, either.”

Gao still has a positive view of romantic relationships. “In the show, I deliver this line which, in a way, might be what I’m thinking inside: ‘Most people who, like me, are over 30 and unmarried, have had failed romantic relationships. What do we get out of them? Fear and distrust — but we still choose to believe in love.’ I share this attitude with my character.”

Well, what are you waiting for, Mark?

Catch We Get Married on weekdays on Celestial Movies (StarHub TV Ch 868 and SingTel mio TV Ch 585).