‘Her diplomas are her dowry’: Chinese woman uses ‘paid for’ education to snare rich husband, dismaying her sponsor and sparking online debate

Older woman who sponsored girl through school and university is shocked to find that she wants to settle down as a housewife and mother. Social media commenters share sponsor’s disappointment, with one saying: ‘Her education and diplomas are just her dowries and nothing more’. — SCMP

A Chinese social media post about the sponsored-education trajectory of a poor young woman who wants to become a rich housewife has stoked heated online debate about the purpose of academia.

The post on Xiaohongshu, from an IP address which indicates that the self-confessed confused sponsor was based in the northeastern province of Liaoning, said that she was perturbed by the fact that a poor girl she had financially supported for eight years had chosen to become a housewife.