Wedding debacle sparks online debate on bride-price practice

Authorities in a rural part of Henan province successfully intervened in a highly publicized wedding debacle during the National Day holiday, in which the bride's relatives attempted to prevent her from leaving her home for the wedding due to disputes over the bride-price, turning the event into a farce.

In an official statement on Monday, an investigation task force from Huaibin county said that villagers Huang and Chen, identified only by their surnames, were to be married in Gudui township on Oct 1, a popular date for weddings among young couples. Upon Huang's arrival at the bride's residence, he transferred 188,000 yuan ($26,700) to Chen's personal bank account to meet the bride-price that was agreed upon between the two families.

But his in-laws insisted that the money should have been transferred to the family's bank account, leading them to halt the wedding proceedings.

In widely circulated video clips online, Chen's brother was observed preventing the wedding procession vehicles from leaving by throwing himself onto one of the cars.

Police swiftly intervened, ensuring the couple's departure from the bride's home so they could proceed with the wedding, the statement said.

"Local Party authorities and the county government attached great importance to the incident," the statement said.

It noted that the police reprimanded the bride's brother for his actions and facilitated a resolution between Huang and his in-laws. He agreed to pay 30,000 yuan directly to Chen's family to settle the matter.

The incident in Henan has garnered significant online attention due to the contentious issue of exorbitant bride-prices, which have been scorned because they make it difficult for rural men struggling financially to find spouses.

Many internet users said that Chen's brother overreacted because he would benefit most from Huang's bride-price, as it is common practice for parents in rural areas to give the money to their sons.

Other comments criticizing the practice said it was like parents who do it are selling daughters.

Several hashtags related to the incident trended on the microblogging platform Sina Weibo on Monday.

One hashtag, "Bridegroom reached an agreement with in-laws," garnered over 30 million views and thousands of comments. Another hashtag, "Should the bride-price be given to the bride?" received 34 million views and approximately 5,000 comments.

One Weibo user said, "The bride-price should be given directly to the bride herself as it serves as the initial capital for the new couple's small family."

Another disagreed, saying, "The bride-price symbolizes a form of gratitude to the wife's parents for their upbringing."

The heightened attention prompted the county to mobilize the investigation task force — which comprises the local publicity, civil affairs and public security bureaus — to address the situation.

On Sunday, Huaibin county held a special meeting to advocate for more reforms to prevent the reoccurrence of similar bride-price disputes.

Hefty bride-prices, which have burdened tens of millions of rural families, have come into the crosshairs of authorities who are encouraging villagers to kick the cultural habit.

Giving money as a gift to a bride's family, together with expectations that the suitor owns an apartment and a car, has become a major stumbling block to many men's matrimonial aspirations.

In rural areas, where men outnumber women by a steep margin and professional matchmakers make good money, competition for wives has seen bride-prices as high as 300,000 yuan.

lilei@chinadaily.com.cn