A wedding, for what it's worth
By Xie Fang (China Daily)Updated: 2007-03-06 10:20
"No man is willing to marry into a bride's family if the family property is lower than 2 million yuan ($250,000)," Li said.
|
A building in Beijing shows advertisements for beauty treatment and
plastic surgery. The beauty business has flourished in China in recent
years. |
Since China's opening and reform in the early 1980s, Zhejiang Province has experienced phenomenal economic growth, with many private companies springing up in cities like Xiaoshan, Yiwu and Wenzhou. Such prosperity has generated a great number of wealthy families and independent millionaires in the area.
However, some of these families only have one daughter, due to China's One-Child Policy. Traditionally, Chinese families expect the male members to carry on the family business. Therefore, finding a suitable son-in-law.
For a man, marrying into the bride's family meant that he'd become a "dao cha men", a son-in-law living off his wife's family who is obliged to look after the wife's parents until they pass away. Traditionally, only orphans and men from poor families would consider this option. In return, their offspring would have to take the wife's family name.
Back in the 1980s, the bride's family often presented a motorbike as a betrothal present for the bridegroom. Today a new car is the gift of choice.
Li recalled that a university student surnamed Lou came to his office asking for the hand of a rich girl but no one worth less than 10 million yuan ($1.25 million).
"The pressure for men to be successful at work is getting more intense in China. An average worker would probably find it hard to buy a house or a car without his parents' support. I therefore provide a platform for these people to find love, and live comfortably too," Li said.
Among the candidates, some young men come from
better-off families, and want to marry into a rich family because it is a
"rational choice" for their careers and positions in society.
 | 1 | 2 | 3 |  |
(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)