Deciding on a Year-Long World Trip... Visiting Over 40 Cities
Story Sparks Debate Over Dowry Customs
A Chinese man broke off his engagement due to excessive wedding costs demanded by his fianc?e's family. Instead of marrying, he chose to travel the world, attracting attention.
On the 11th, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported the story of a 35-year-old man, Mr. A, from Shanxi Province in northwest China.
Mr. A decided to break up with his fianc?e, whom he was supposed to marry last May. This was because the bride's family demanded a higher bride price than previously agreed.
In China, it is customary for the groom's side to give a bride price called "chaili" (彩禮) to the bride's family when getting married. Mr. A agreed to pay 190,000 yuan (34 million KRW) as chaili to his fianc?e's family and saved money by setting aside 5,000 yuan (900,000 KRW) from his monthly salary. For the shortfall, he planned to borrow from friends or get help from his parents.
However, in May, the bride's side suddenly demanded an additional 30,000 yuan (about 5.4 million KRW) as chaili, and Mr. A chose to call off the engagement.
Mr. A said, "Rather than feeling angry, I felt powerless," and added, "Since I really didn't have the money, I felt relieved when I canceled the wedding."
Traditional Chinese wedding scene. The photo is not directly related to the article content. [Image source=Pixabay]
Having given up on marriage, Mr. A decided to travel the world for a year with the 168,000 yuan (30 million KRW) he had saved. He stated, "I thought it would be better to enjoy the beauty of the world than to go into debt because of marriage."
He quit his job in June and started traveling. So far, he has visited more than 40 cities, spending about 30,000 yuan during the trip.
Chinese netizens who learned about Mr. A's story are engaging in heated debates about chaili. Most responses include comments like, "If you borrow money to get married, you won't be happy," and "I think he made the right decision."
It is known that Chinese men typically pay between 100,000 and 1,000,000 yuan (18 million to 180 million KRW) as chaili. Mr. A also said about chaili, "It's unfair, but Chinese men have no choice."
However, among the younger generation, there is a growing movement rejecting this unreasonable custom. In June, a story circulated about a man in eastern China who broke up with his girlfriend after her parents demanded 380,000 yuan (68 million KRW) as chaili.
Moreover, chaili has been analyzed as a major cause of the continuous decline in marriage rates in China, and there is increasing social pressure to eliminate this practice, which ultimately triggers a decline in national competitiveness. Accordingly, in large cities, chaili is sometimes given in smaller amounts or not at all, but in rural areas, it is still common to exchange about 200,000 to 300,000 yuan (about 37 million to 55 million KRW) as chaili.
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