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Liujia Village in the mountains is an ordinary small mountain village. Walking in from the entrance of the village, you will see a bluestone-paved path winding, lined with scattered farm yards. It was still dark that day, but the village was already bustling. It turned out that the second Mao family in the village was holding a wedding banquet for their grandson, and dozens of tables of banquets were set up lively.
Just then, a black, elongated Lincoln RV slowly drove up, its gold-plated headlights shining in the darkness. As soon as the car door opened, the first person to get down was a well-dressed middle-aged man, who was the second son of Lao Mao, Dafu. Then, an Asian woman wearing a plain cheongsam slowly walked down. She is the bride-to-be Zhili who Dafu has met in Thailand in recent years.
Zhili's arrival immediately caused a whisper. Guys, you look at me, I look at you, your eyes are full of curiosity and doubt. As a small mountain village, it is common for foreign daughters-in-law to come out, but a Thai girl, this is really rare. What's even more staggering is that it is said that Dafu has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in Thailand in order to marry Zhili.
At this time, Lao Ermao came to Zhili with a glass of fragrant wine and a smile on his face, his eyes full of festive expectations. The old man was obviously very satisfied with this family business, because this was the greatest wish of his hard life, that is, to be able to see the only male in the family marry in his lifetime.
But what the old man didn't expect was that at the moment when Zhi Li stepped into the house, a person pushed the door in and came to Zhi Li first. This person is holding a microphone and has a suspicious look with ulterior motives...... What's going on? Could it be that there is something hidden at home? How will the bride choose Zhili? I'm sure you've been secretly curious about how the story will unfold after reading this.
But before revealing the mystery, let's get back to the point and explore the current dilemma of older young men in rural areas who are difficult to marry. This is not only a real problem, but also a potential social crisis, which deserves our great attention.
In fact, in recent years, there has been a serious imbalance in the sex ratio in rural areas of the mainland. According to the data of the seventh population census, there are currently 34.9 million more men than women in the country. This is mainly due to the influence of factors such as urban and rural population flow and fertility concepts, and a large number of single male population has "protruded".
For the vast number of rural families, starting from the traditional concept, whether or not they can "marry a daughter-in-law" and "pass on the family lineage" has always been a top priority. However, nowadays, due to the shortage of female population, many families have fallen into a situation of "difficulty in marrying a wife". In particular, for those young men in rural areas who have been working abroad for a long time and are still single when they reach the age of establishment, the issue of marriage is even more of a top priority for them.
In response to this situation, economist Professor Ding Changfa proposed a very forward-looking solution: open up international marriage and introduce overseas young women. He believes that many young men in China have done exactly this, going to Russia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Pakistan and other countries to marry local women through the method of "bringing in and going out".
It is undeniable that international marriage has indeed alleviated the phenomenon of marriage shortage in rural areas of the mainland to a certain extent. However, due to the influence of cultural differences, laws and policies and many other factors, this practice has also caused a lot of controversy and questioning. For example, in the marriage intermediary market, some criminals are mixed in and take the opportunity to cheat or sell people; In addition, transnational marriages are often more prone to problems such as family conflicts.
Therefore, relying solely on open international marriage to solve the problem of rural marriage is obviously a simplistic and narrow approach. We need more and better responses and initiatives to reverse this situation at its roots.
After a lot of research and analysis, I believe that improving the social environment and job market in rural areas is the starting point.
First of all, it is necessary to increase the intensity of poverty alleviation funds and projects in favor of rural areas, and continuously improve the level of local economic development, so that rural youth will no longer be uprooted due to economic pressure, so as to further exacerbate the gender imbalance of the population. At the same time, it is necessary to cultivate and expand industries with rural characteristics, create a good entrepreneurial environment for local youth, and encourage and support them to take root in their hometowns.
Secondly, it is necessary to strengthen publicity and education to improve the awareness level of rural parents on women's rights and interests and the concept of marriage. Completely eradicate outdated concepts such as preference for sons over daughters, establish a family concept of equality between men and women in the new era, and do not use "marrying a daughter-in-law" as a pressure and burden.
In addition, local governments should introduce relevant policies to encourage and support the development of new rural collective economic organizations while increasing the intensity of punishment. Through the development of the joint-stock cooperative system, more young people can participate in it and share the benefits, so as to achieve the goal of stabilizing employment and retaining the population.
For some families who still insist on international marriage, we should also uphold an open and inclusive attitude, and help them comply with laws and regulations to ensure legal compliance while fully warning them of risks.
Generally speaking, to solve the problem of the difficulty of marriage between older men and young men in rural areas, it is necessary to start from multiple perspectives such as economic, social, cultural, and legal, and adopt comprehensive measures. Behind the revitalization of rural areas, the rural youth who have left their hometowns are heartbreaking. Hoping that they will return to their homes as soon as possible and live a life of peace and contentment, instead of wandering around in search of their lovers, this is exactly what the country and society should strive for.
Admittedly, there is no shortcut to solving any complex problem. However, only with courage and wisdom, facing problems head-on, and being sincere, we will eventually find a way to make a breakthrough. Let us work together to embrace the world with an open and inclusive mind, and build a bride price shackle to happiness for older men and young people in rural areas.
So back to the beginning of the story, who is the mysterious figure who appeared in front of the bride Zhili? It turned out that he was a public security officer of the embassy in Thailand. On suspicion of bribery and illegal operation of a marriage agency, Dafu and his intermediary gang have been included in the scope of investigation.
Zhili was shocked when she heard this, and tears welled up in her eyes. She thought that this was an old but passionate marriage that could reunite the two families, but she didn't expect to fall into such a dirty trap.
This case has once again aroused widespread concern and discussion about transnational marriage. Many people question that under the manipulation of some criminals, transnational marriages are being treated as a kind of "business", completely deviating from the original intention of marriage itself. At the same time, some people also suggested that the excessively high bride price became the fuse, which made it easier for criminals to take advantage of loopholes.
High bride prices have a long history and are deeply rooted in the rural areas of the mainland. Although the relevant departments have issued many regulations in recent years, the effect is still limited. The main reason for this is that it is difficult to eradicate concepts and old habits.
For example, in some poverty-stricken areas, many families still regard marrying their daughters as a channel of "financing", hoping to subsidize their sons' future marriage expenses through their daughters' bride price. In this case, the high-priced bride price has undoubtedly become the "only way out" for these families.
Moreover, in some places, the traditional belief that boys are particularly entrenched, resulting in a serious gender imbalance in the population. The scarcity of marriageable women has become the main reason for the increase in the price of bride price.
It can be said that the existence of high-priced bride prices has become a major stumbling block to the freedom of marriage in rural areas of the mainland. It is precisely for this reason that the party and the government have been grasping the rectification of high-priced bride prices as an important task for many years.
For example, in December 2022, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and other eight departments jointly issued the "Opinions on Punishing Illegal and Criminal Acts of High-priced Bride Prices and Obstruction of Freedom of Marriage in Accordance with Law", which clearly punished relevant illegal acts.
At the grassroots government level, it is also vigorously promoting and advocating, for example, Shen County, Shandong Province issued a proposal to "put an end to high-priced bride price, starting from me", and incorporated the rectification of high-priced bride price into the village rules and regulations.
Regrettably, despite all the efforts made, the phenomenon of high bride prices is still very common and persistent. The reason for this is inseparable from the fact that it is difficult to completely reverse some old local ideological concepts and social customs.
It can be said that legislation is certainly a powerful weapon to curb high-priced bride prices, but it is far from enough to have a "heavy fist". The only way to truly eradicate this bad social habit is to integrate the concept of modern civilization, take the initiative to change traditional thinking, and implant new marriage values from the depths of our hearts.
In other words, only when the concept of equality between men and women is effectively rooted in the minds of every rural resident and the old concept of preference for sons over daughters is abandoned, can the bride price no longer be sought after as a "passport" for the succession of family members, and can the right to marital autonomy be truly thoroughly respected and safeguarded.
And this, it is necessary for the government, schools, the media and other aspects to make efforts to vigorously publicize and advocate the concept of modern marriage and family, so that the stereotypes and bad habits of "men ploughing and women weaving, and husband and wife are harmonious" will be gradually replaced by the civilized trend of thought in the new era.
As General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, "it is necessary to strengthen the construction of socialist spiritual civilization and cultivate and practice the core values of socialism". Only by allowing new ideas and concepts to take root in the hearts of the people can we remove all kinds of obstacles that hinder the freedom of marriage and make the bad practice of bride price in rural areas a thing of the past.
In short, to solve the complex problem of difficult marriage in rural areas, we need the concerted efforts of all parties. We have an unshirkable responsibility to defend the autonomy of marriage, and we have a long way to go. Only by working together and persevering can we hold up a sky of marital autonomy for the vast number of rural youth.
I believe that through the joint efforts of the government, society and every citizen, in the near future, innocent young women like Zhili who were deceived into pyramid schemes will never suffer again, and every pair of young people who love each other will have an equal, free and bright marriage in the new era. We look forward to your comments and contributions. #专家谈农村大龄男青年婚配难: Consider opening up international marriages and bringing in young women from overseas#