It costs two to three hundred thousand or even millions of yuan, first mention the bride price and then talk about the relationship——Investigation on the phenomenon of high-priced bride price in some rural areas

　　Xinhua News Agency, Nanchang, February 15. Title: Two to three hundred thousand or even millions of yuan, first mention the bride price and then talk about the relationship——Investigation on the phenomenon of high-priced bride price in some rural areas

　　Xinhua News Agency "Xinhua Viewpoint" reporters Guo Qiang, Fan Fan, Yao Ziyun

　　In a certain place in Jiangxi, more than 380,000 yuan in gifts excluding garages; in a place in Henan, after buying a car and a house in full, two or three hundred thousand yuan in gifts is required; in a place in Fujian, the maximum amount of gifts is even as high as 2 million yuan... With the peak of marriage during the Spring Festival, High-priced betrothal gifts have once again become a hot topic.

　　The betrothal gift is a traditional wedding custom, which entrusts the best wishes of the parents to the couple.

However, a reporter from "Xinhua Viewpoint" found that in recent years, the bride price in some rural areas has remained high or even increased all the way, and there have been strange phenomena such as higher prices in rural areas than in cities, and the more difficult the family, the higher the price.

　　(Subheading) It's hard to bear the weight of the bride price

　　This Spring Festival, Xia Jun (pseudonym), who came to work in the provincial capital from the countryside of Jiangxi, was worried about finding a partner again. At the age of 30, he was already an older youth in the eyes of the villagers, and was often urged by his family to marry him.

　　"It's not easy to get married now!" Xia Jun said. Locally, looking for a partner usually requires the man to have a house and a car in the county, and a dowry, usually 288,000 yuan.

He made the calculations: the down payment for buying a house in the county is about 200,000 yuan, the decoration is about 150,000 yuan, the car is more than 100,000 yuan, plus 288,000 yuan in gifts, these alone need more than 700,000 yuan.

　　"I earn 6,000 yuan a month from a part-time job, and I can save 30,000 to 40,000 yuan a year. It is difficult to rely on my own savings to get married. The family wants to pool money to buy the house first, and the gift money can only be borrowed from relatives and friends. Return." Xia Jun said.

　　The reporter's investigation found that in recent years, through the continuous and in-depth reform of customs, the betrothal gifts in some places have declined, and even "zero betrothal gifts" have appeared, but in many places the betrothal gifts still remain high.

A number of people interviewed said that "sky-high price gifts" of one million yuan are rare in the local area, but dowry gifts of two to three hundred thousand yuan are indeed more common.

　　It is worth noting that the bride price in some places is getting higher and higher.

"Two or three years ago, the betrothal gifts here usually cost more than 100,000 yuan, but now many of them start at 200,000 yuan." A villager in a county in central China said that during the Spring Festival this year, a family in the same village married a daughter-in-law, which does not count as buying a wedding banquet. , buying gold and silver jewelry, etc., the bride price alone is 228,000 yuan.

　　"In recent years, the betrothal gifts here have been rising all the way, from 88,000 yuan more than ten years ago to 188,000 yuan, then to 288,000 yuan, and now it is generally 388,000 yuan." A villager in northern Jiangxi told reporters.

　　The high-priced betrothal gifts have led to a series of social problems.

Some interviewed village cadres and villagers said that when some local families go on a blind date, they first negotiate the dowry, and then start dating after giving the dowry. The two parties did not get together later, and disputes caused by the return of the dowry occurred from time to time.

　　(Subheading) The deep reason behind the high-priced betrothal gift

　　The reporter's investigation found that in some places, high-priced betrothal gifts are difficult to cure, and there are deep-seated cultural and economic reasons behind it.

　　"In the traditional concept, a high dowry represents a good marriage. Whoever has a high dowry will marry well." Some interviewees said that women want a dowry not for money but for face.

If someone confiscates the bride price, it is often considered that the man's family is in difficulty or his daughter is defective.

　　In the long-term receiving and sending of betrothal gifts, some places have formed regional "markets" with clearly marked prices.

　　"Our betrothal gifts here are about 188,000 yuan" "We are generally 200,000 to 300,000 yuan here"... The reporter's investigation found that betrothal gifts in various places often have regional "markets", and generally do not deviate significantly from the "market" when talking about betrothal gifts.