"International Marriage Should Be Encouraged for Unmarried Men"
Rising Dowry Burden in China
In China, where the marriage rate has declined in recent years, a controversial claim has emerged that foreign brides should be imported for unmarried men.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 20th, Professor Ding Changpa of Xiamen University in China suggested that international marriages should be encouraged for lifelong bachelors.
According to a report released earlier this year by the China Rural Research Institute at Central China Normal University, China has experienced a gender imbalance due to the long-standing one-child policy, resulting in approximately 35 million more men than women. Rural young men, in particular, are increasingly struggling to find spouses, which is linked to high bride prices and other factors.
In China, the "bride price," also known as "caili" (彩禮), is the money the groom must give to the bride's family. Although it is a long-standing Chinese custom, controversies persist due to excessive demands from the bride's side. In rural Chinese villages, the caili typically ranges from 100,000 to 200,000 yuan (approximately 19 million to 38 million KRW), an amount difficult for many families to afford.
Professor Ding stated, "Rural men in China face great difficulties as they must bear costs totaling 500,000 to 600,000 yuan (96 million to 115 million KRW) for housing, cars, and caili (bride price) when getting married," and argued, "To solve this problem, a significant number of qualified young women should be brought in from overseas." He mentioned Russia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Pakistan as countries from which brides should be brought, most of which have lower income levels than China.
Professor Ding's remarks sparked heated debates online. Women expressed negative reactions, saying, "Importing foreign brides is no different from human trafficking," and "Potential language barriers could lead to conflicts within families." On the other hand, most men supported the opinion, responding, "Foreign brides do not demand houses, cars, or high bride prices."
In particular, an influencer with over 1.8 million followers on Douyin, a Chinese social networking service (SNS), said, "Southeast Asia has maintained close ties with China since ancient times and shares many cultural similarities." He added, "Many Southeast Asian countries actively promote Mandarin (Standard Chinese) to strengthen relations with us, which can break down communication barriers," suggesting that Southeast Asian women would not experience significant cultural shock upon coming to China.
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