Finding a Bride Is Difficult, Dowry Reaches 27 Million Won, 10 Times Higher... Double Hardship for Rural Bachelor Men in China

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There are concerns that the bride price (Chaili) that Chinese men pay to women when getting married is rising sharply. The Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) recently focused on Chaili, one of the harmful customs in Chinese society.

According to a survey by Wuhan University in China, the national average bride price has reached 140,000 yuan (approximately 26.7 million KRW), which has surged rapidly since 2008 from the previous level of 10,000 to 20,000 yuan (2 to 4 million KRW). Two main reasons are cited for the steep increase in bride prices: rural families moving to cities for their children's education, which has sharply increased living expenses, and the development of fetal gender identification technology, which has intensified the preference for male children, thereby increasing the scarcity value of women.

Chaili is a long-standing marriage custom in China where the groom's side pays money to the bride's side before marriage. It has been criticized as a harmful practice that treats the bride as a commodity, and due to the high amounts involved, it has been pointed out as a social injustice that causes men to give up on marriage altogether. In particular, rural bachelors with lower incomes compared to urban counterparts tend to avoid marriage, which contributes to low birth rates and population decline, making it a national issue. It is also known that breakups and legal disputes caused by Chaili are not uncommon. In response, the Chinese Supreme Court clarified the scope of recognition and refund principles for betrothal gifts in February.

Regionally, the bride price is especially high around Shanghai, Fujian Province, and Jiangxi Province in eastern China. These areas appear to be affected by a combination of gender imbalance, female population outflow, and high living costs. As a result, the trend of young people avoiding marriage is accelerating. According to data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China, the number of marriage registrations in the second quarter of 2024 was 1.46 million couples. This represents an 18% decrease compared to the same period last year and is the second-lowest level on record, following the 1.39 million couples registered in the fourth quarter of 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local governments are making efforts to establish a modern marriage culture. In Luoyang City, Henan Province, volunteers visit elderly households to encourage restraint in the practice of high bride prices. However, the effect seems minimal. A man in his 30s who participated in a matchmaking event held in Guangzhou said, "In addition to the pressure of buying a house, excessive bride price demands can lead to giving up on marriage." Japanese sociologist Ueno Chizuko pointed out, "Chinese society is increasingly drifting toward money-centered materialism."