Chinese Site Baihe Switches To Free Messaging After $246m Investment

Chinese online dating site Baihe.com has just announced their decision to switch to free messaging for users.

Starting from the 22nd May, users of Baihe will be able to communicate with other members for free, rather than paying membership fees to chat.

Baihe recently announced a massive round of funding totalling $246m, ahead of a planned IPO later this year.

The dating company, which launched back in 2005, raised the money from unidentified investors, who reportedly include several publicly-listed Chinese companies and a number of private equity and brokerage firms.

This latest business strategy move sees Baihe become one of China’s first dating sites to offer free communication between members.

The CEO of Baihe, Tian Fanjiang, said the company aims to increase online market share to at least 61.8% via the new initiative, to become the leading online dating website in China.

In addition to this, he wants the site to become a leader in the dating and marriage service ecosystem with improvement in user added value and industrial chain extension.