Mr Wu Jieqin, a retired Beijing art professor who has spent time in an old folks' home, married Ms Jiang Xiaohui, 23 years his junior, over the weekend, the Beijing News reported.

Mr Wu is the oldest person among 11 couples who tied the knot at a mass wedding ceremony for those who met online.

'The Internet doesn't belong to the young alone,' Mr Wu told the paper.

He said he started using the Internet 10 years ago, to stay in touch with his daughter in the United States.

But while Mr Wu said there are 'no rules against old people seeking love online', he had to overcome the opposition of Ms Jiang's parents, aged 85 and 86, who feared he was too old.

But his bride-to-be won them over on his behalf, by assuring them that he was a gentleman and in good health.

'His voice is very youthful. Not like an 80-year-old,' Ms Jiang, who is tying the knot for the second time, told the paper.

'He's very romantic, sincere and talented.'

The couple also share a common passion for the arts.

They met after Mr Wu, lonely since his divorce a decade ago, enlisted the help of a student to put a lonely hearts ad on a Chinese website in September last year.

Not that the feisty retiree with thin grey hair was not picky.

'As Internet mates of his own age did not suit him, he set his sights on a woman in her forties or fifties,' the report said.

Mr Wu said more than 50 women responded positively to his ad, including prospects from the US, Australia and the Ukraine.

He met several, but clicked only with Ms Jiang, a retired railway worker from south-west China's Sichuan province.

'It was love at first sight when I saw her photo,' said Mr Wu, who flew to Sichuan to meet Ms Jiang just a week after they started chatting online.

He now plans to move there to be with his new bride, and likens their love to two well-meshed gears.

'As long they're up to scratch, they can keep turning forever, and you don't have to care whether they're old or new,' he said.

REUTERS