The seat-sharing hot pot restaurant. (Photo/Screenshot of Pear Video)

A seat-sharing hot pot restaurant that aims to match singles in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, has been well-received by young people.

The restaurant has set a number of basic rules: two diners should be strangers and of the opposite sex; the pair share a table only if both agree; splitting the bill is also allowed.

The owner of the restaurant, Chen Xiaoyu, told Pear Video he was inspired by the app Pinduoduo, an e-commerce platform that allows users to participate in group buying deals.

The restaurant gives singles a much needed opportunity to interact with others and meet new friends, said Chen who claims many diners have become romantically involved.

Many people responding to the online video said the idea for the restaurant is typical of Chengdu's laid-back nature and some said they wanted to move to the city. 

Chengdu, a second-tier city in China, is renowned for its leisurely lifestyle and spicy cuisine. "I think this (lifestyle) is an important reason for the success of the restaurant," a Chengdu-based bank worker, Chen Qian, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

"The popularity of it cannot be duplicated in other cities, as most of the young in other cities are overwhelmed with heavy workloads, and often work from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week," Chen said.