BEIJING (SCMP): A Chinese man whose dating of a woman consisted of a five-minute video call before marrying her within three days regretted what he had done just nine days later.
The 32-year-old man, surnamed Gu, who is from the eastern province of Zhejiang and is a single child, blamed parental pressure for his rash decision.
He spent 200 yuan (US$30) to register with a local matchmaking centre, which introduced him to three local women. They were not interested in him.
The matchmaker suggested women from other provinces and promised Gu that a marriage could happen within two days. His family agreed.
A 30-year-old woman from northwestern China’s Shaanxi province was introduced to him in April.
According to her profile they posted online, she had no debts, no criminal record and no serious illness or genetic diseases.
The profile also said she agreed to a “flash marriage and marrying far away”.
They had a five-minute video call. He asked about her job and family. She said she was a salesperson. The matchmaker answered most of the questions.
They promised that they would prepare her credit history report and premarital medical examination report before their marriage.
Gu and his family decided to marry her, despite not having met her in person.
They spent a total of 265,000 yuan (US$39,000), including a 100,000-yuan bride price and 160,000-yuan matchmaking fee, and asked the matchmaker to escort the woman to his city.
Three days later, they registered the marriage. Gu’s family did not meet the woman’s parents.
After marriage registration, the matchmaker failed to provide the reports they promised. Gu took his new wife to the bank to check her credit report and was shocked to discover that she had 100,000 yuan (US$15,000) worth of debt.
She said the debts belonged to her ex-boyfriend and had nothing to do with her.
He also found that the name of her mobile phone payment app, which requires real name verification, was different from the one he knew.
A day later, she also told him that she had a high level of liver enzymes, needed to lose weight, but that it did not affect her fertility.
Nine days after their marriage, Gu regretted what he had done and demanded a divorce. The woman initially agreed, then changed her mind and sued Gu for divorce instead.
She said his demand for divorce caused her to suffer from depression and provided a diagnosis.
She then asked him for 50,000 yuan (US$7,500) in compensation. She said he also required her to wear make-up, do housework and find a job.
Gu also sued the matchmaking centre to refund him the 160,000-yuan fee.
The matchmaker said they would not provide a refund because he had married the woman they introduced, suggesting that the couple had staged a fake divorce just to get the money back.
Their case sparked a heated online discussion.
“If you treat marriage like a game, marriage will teach you a lesson,” said one online observer.
“Marriage should be a huge life decision, and some people dared to enter it after just meeting for days,” said another.
“It is more ridiculous than the plot of a short drama,” said a third. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
