Experiment aims to curb excessive bride prices

County offering help to those asking for lower amounts, promoting compatibility test first

As China continues to clamp down on the payment of excessive bride prices and dowries, the authorities in one province are employing unique measures.

In February, Chongyi county Jiangxi province introduced a policy offering financial support across 10 areas of society, and one of them included helping to cover bride prices not exceeding 39,000 yuan (HK$42,000).

The approach has sparked an intense debate in the country and prompted doubts that the “experiment” would work.

One woman, Yu Fei, who had already been through a divorce and had two children, decided to live with her current husband before receiving the bride price.

In her village of Lingang, the average bride price – a sum of money traditionally paid by a man to the bride’s family – is between 700,000 and 800,000 yuan, far higher than most places in China.

Hu Mingliang, a local village official, said a gender imbalance had fuelled fierce competition in the marriage market, inflating the size of the payment.

A sought-after young woman with multiple suitors may find themselves involved in a bidding market, which in some cases can see the bride price reaching hundreds of thousands of yuan, possibly even topping 1 million yuan.

Yu said brides’ families also took part in this rivalry to “save face”. “Some parents think that if that woman got a bride price of 680,000 yuan, my daughter must get 720,000 yuan’,” Yu told the Shanghai Observer.

Yu’s decision did not remove the bride price from the equation, partly because she had two sons.

Although her ex-husband provided financial support, the potential costs of her sons’ future weddings remained a significant concern, especially if Yu did not receive a bride price that could help cover these expenses.

Yu hoped by accepting a lower bride price, she would help set a precedent to lower expectations.

“Before we married, I told [my husband] that a bride price of 120,000 yuan would be enough.

“We decided to live together first to test our compatibility, and if things worked out, he would then pay the bride price,” Yu said.

Online observers are dubious the culture shift will spread.

“She is remarried with two children, but still asking for ‘only’ 120,000 yuan as a bride price? My goodness!” one person said. “It’s terrifying that 120,000 yuan is considered low,” another added.