China county launches low bride price incentive scheme with offers of priority school choice, subsidies, move sparks online debate
- Reforms old custom, encourages frugality, gives certificate of honour
- Discounts wedding banquets, photography, offers farming allowance
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A local authority in China has introduced an incentive scheme for newlywed families to cap the bride price they pay at 39,000 yuan (US$5,400) by offering them top priority in the choice of school for their children.
Chongyi county in Jiangxi province, southern China, launched the policy in an effort to prevent families splurging large amounts of money on the traditional marriage ritual.
As well as the education incentive for their unborn children, the scheme also offers a variety of favourable terms on services and other items, Jiupai News reported.
The parents of both sides of the marriage are also eligible for benefits.
In addition to their children be given preference when it comes to enrolling in local kindergarten and schools, the families will be entitled to one free physical examination at their local hospital.
They will also have access to local tourist attractions and a free bus pass for a year.
Other discounts, such as on wedding banquets, wedding photography, bedding, and a water-irrigation allowance for orchards, are also available.
A certificate of honour will be given to the bride’s parents-in-law to prove that they have contributed to reforming the outdated marriage custom.
Men in China customarily pay the woman’s family an amount between 10,000 and 1 million yuan (US$140,000).
Despite Beijing’s efforts at reform in recent years, soaring bride prices remain a concern, especially in rural areas where there are more single men than women.
In 2022, the Zhengning government in Gansu province, northwestern China, set an upper limit for the bride price of 80,000 yuan (US$12,000) for rural families, and 60,000 yuan for public servants.
The latest official reform on bride price control triggered widespread discussion on mainland social media.
At the time of writing, a news story on the subject had 134,000 comments on Douyin.
“It’s a very human policy,” one online observer said.
“I hope the policy will be used across the country,” wrote another.
However, one father said: “I can’t accept that. The living expenses I spend on my daughter in one year are higher than 39,000 yuan.”
A mother agreed and said: “How could my daughter possibly live well if her man failed to afford the 100,000 yuan bride price?”
Stories about huge bride prices are common in China.
In June 2023, mainland social media was astonished by a video of a man in the east of the country, arriving at his engagement ceremony in an armoured vehicle loaded with 9.98 million yuan (US$1.4 million) in cash – plus gold bars – as betrothal gifts.
In the same month, a man broke up with his girlfriend after her parents demanded a bride price of 380,000 yuan (US$53,000).
