bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Alice Yan

A woman in central China who accepted a betrothal gift of 200,000 yuan (US$28,000) and later regretted the engagement agreed to return the money.
However, her already shocked husband-to-be was then doubly taken aback when the woman asked him to deduct 30,000 yuan (US$4,200) as a “hugging fee”, triggering a public backlash against her.
The incident, reported by Henan TV, has attracted 23 million views on mainland social media.
It is a common practice in China that the groom’s family pays an amount of money as a betrothal gift, or bride price, to the bride’s family before the engagement, as gratitude for bringing up the bride.

According to the report, the man and the woman, who both live in Pingdingshan, Henan province, met last year through a matchmaker.
They got engaged in January and had planned to hold their wedding in November.
Like most couples in China, they took a set of pre-wedding photos.
The man’s family booked a hotel for their nuptials and informed all their relatives.
But weeks ago, the woman went back on her word and said she had withdrawn her decision to marry the man.

“The woman thought the man was too honest and had too little income,” their matchmaker, surnamed Wan, told the media.
“In terms of the bride price, she said she was willing to return it but would keep 30,000 yuan as a ‘hugging fee’.”
“I have introduced 1,000 couples in the past decade. Her family is the most picky one I have encountered. Her demand for a 30,000 yuan reduction is immoral,” said Wan.
He added that the man’s embrace of the woman was at the behest of the photographer during the wedding photo shoot.
“We do not have major disputes. I just do not want to marry him,” the woman was quoted as saying.
She said the 30,000 yuan also included some expenses she had incurred while they hung out together.
Following a period of negotiation, the two families agreed that the woman would return 170,500 yuan (US$24,000) to the man.
The bride price, which can range from 100,000 to 500,000 yuan (US$70,000), usually poses a huge financial burden on the man’s family.

In many regions, rural families have to pay a higher bride price than their counterparts in cities because there are fewer young women available, putting men at a disadvantage in the matchmaking market.
Cases of women regretting the engagement but refusing to return the bride price often make headlines in China.
Last year, a man took a woman and her father to court in central Hunan province after they refused to return the bride price of 230,000 yuan (US$32,000) to him.
Although the court ruled that the woman’s family should return the money within 15 days, they failed to do so and the man took his plight to the media in a bid to get the cash back.


China boy addresses bullies in class meeting, earns admiration, apologies from tormentors

China teacher hides pupil’s death from class, asks group to write farewell letters

Chinese food vlogger banned after vinegar-soaked chewing gum videos go viral

Ex-painter is first China woman competitor in world slap contest, says helps to confront fears

Trending in China

China woman cancels wedding, demands US$4,200 ‘hugging fee’, claiming emotional distress

A man in China whose  fiancée wanted to back out of the marriage was shocked when the woman demanded a “hugging fee”. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

The couple had already gone to the length of having wedding photographs taken before the woman pulled out. Photo: Shutterstock

Unhappily ever after: The woman demanding the so-called hugging fee said she had no disputes with the man; she simply did not want to marry him. Photo: Getty Images

The family of the husband-to-be had booked a venue for the wedding and relatives on both sides were preparing gifts for the big day. Photo: Shutterstock 

Public outrage as China bridesmaids taped to bike, forced to kiss strangers as wedding prank

Two bridesmaids in China were taped to a bike and forced to kiss strangers as part of the wedding prank tradition, causing public outrage over consent. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

In an incident in Shaanxi province, several men taped two women to an electric bike by the roadside, with one man holding their heads down while another kissed them. Photo: Douyin

When executed mildly and respectfully, wedding pranks can be entertaining and foster bonding among guests. Photo: Shutterstock

These pranks, known as “hun nao”, are common in rural China and hold a centuries-old belief that noise and laughter can ward off evil spirits and calm the couple’s nerves. Photo: Shutterstock

However, in recent times, the practice of wedding pranks has taken a disturbing turn, evolving into harmful and sometimes sexually exploitative acts. Photo: Douyin

Japan engineer goes viral with anime-inspired hairstyle, 253 patents, 170kg bench press

A Japanese car engineer recently went viral for his anime-inspired hairstyle and is known to hold more than 250 patents. Photo: SCMP composite/RedNote/Bilibili

Many think his strikingly wild hairstyle, reminiscent of iconic anime characters like Kakashi Hatake from Naruto, above, blurs the line between fiction and reality. Photo: Handout

In his younger days, Odate spent excessive time styling his conventional haircut, but later opted for a simple gel to tame the fringe that fell over his left eye. Photo: Handout

His unusual hairstyle has sparked conversations among professionals at other car companies. Photo: Handout

As a prominent member of Honda, Odate has showcased the company’s latest innovations at auto shows, highlighting the technologies developed by his team. Photo: Handout

Public outrage over rude China tourist in Japan who eats sample food, misuses hand dryer

A Chinese tourist with more than 200,000 social media followers has angered netizens in Japan for his disrespectful actions. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

The travel influencer caused anger by washing his hair in a sink in a public toilet. Photo: Handout

The travelling student talks to a group of children. His actions have been condemned by both Japanese and Chinese people online. Photo: Handout

The man was slammed for showing disrespect by eating free food samples. Photo: Handout

Chinese-Dutch man, born without thumbs, gains viral fame for inventive life hacks

A Chinese-Dutch man who was born without thumbs has gained viral fame for his creative life hacks. Photo: SCMP composite/IG@qiaodi_lucky_8

As an adopted child, at first, Qiao Aalbers found it difficult to adapt to life in the Netherlands. Photo: Handout

Aalbers has lost none of the cheeky charm on display in the above photograph of him as a child. Photo: Handout

Living without thumbs from birth has never stopped Aalbers from enjoying life. Photo: Handout

Chinese woman swallows 8 small live frogs for lower back pain; hospitalised for infections

An 82-year-old Chinese woman swallowed eight live frogs based on a folk remedy for lower back pain, resulting in hospitalisation. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

Instead of cooking the frogs, Zhang swallowed them alive – three on the first day and five more the following day. Photo: Douyin

Consuming raw frogs can lead to parasitic and bacterial infections, and they may also harbour toxins that could result in dizziness, irregular heart rhythm, or paralysis. Photo: Douyin

Two men prepared a selection of natural raw herbal ingredients in a Chinese medicine house as part of a herbal tonic formula traditionally used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treating colds and flu. Photo: Shutterstock

News

People & Culture

Man’s family want betrothal money back after woman gets cold feet about nuptials and demands ‘expenses’; families reach negotiated settlement


Man’s family want betrothal money back after woman gets cold feet about nuptials and demands ‘expenses’; families reach negotiated settlement.


Weddings

China woman cancels wedding, demands US$4,200 ‘hugging fee’, claiming emotional distress

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Man’s family want betrothal money back after woman gets cold feet about nuptials and demands ‘expenses’; families reach negotiated settlement

Man’s family want betrothal money back after woman gets cold feet about nuptials and demands ‘expenses’; families reach negotiated settlement