Key facts
- A Chinese man, surnamed Gu, married a woman after a brief video call and three days of courtship.
- Gu regretted the marriage nine days later, citing parental pressure.
- A matchmaking service introduced Gu to women from other provinces.
- Another Chinese man lost over 240,000 yuan (US$34,000) within a month of marrying a woman met four hours earlier.
- A third man in Jiangxi married a woman after four days, paid over 300,000 yuan, and later discovered her history of fraud and drug abuse.
A Chinese man, identified only as Gu, has expressed regret just nine days after marrying a woman he met through a five-minute video call and courted for three days. The 32-year-old, from Zhejiang province, cited parental pressure as a factor in his hasty decision. He had registered with a local matchmaking center, which initially introduced him to three women who were not interested. The center then suggested women from other provinces, promising a marriage could be arranged within two days, a prospect his family supported.
This case echoes similar incidents in China involving rapid marriages and financial exploitation. In one instance, a 40-year-old man named Huang Zhongcheng from Hunan province married a woman he met just four hours earlier on a blind date. Within a month of their marriage, his entire savings of over 240,000 yuan (US$34,000) were reportedly spent by the woman, who worked at a beauty salon. She insisted on registering their marriage the same day and subsequently asked for money for various expenses.
Huang's experience was facilitated by multiple matchmakers, with nine in total recommending the same woman. He recalled the whirlwind events, stating, "She insisted that we should finalise everything on the same day." Another report details a man in Jiangxi who married a woman after only four days of knowing her, having paid over 300,000 yuan (approximately US$41,000). He later discovered she had a history of fraud and drug abuse. The woman went missing after less than a month of marriage, leading the man to believe he was a victim of a marriage scam. The matchmaking company involved in the Jiangxi case reported that the woman and a matchmaker were arrested, and the company returned the brokerage fee, though they denied involvement in the larger sum paid by the man.