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Chinese men send IDR 20.9 billion in cash and gold bars in an armored truck to the prospective wife’s house as a dowry. Photo/TikTok/WEBOSSX
BEIJING – A man in China sent 9.98 million yuan (over 20.9 billion) in cash, gold bars and luxury watches to his fiancee’s house in an armored truck. All this as a dowry.
It happened in Zhejiang, east China, last Tuesday. Sending a dowry with an unusual amount and method was recorded by people and the video has gone viral on social media.
Several videos show the expensive dowry being delivered in six bright red safes by four professional bodyguards to the house of the future wife where the engagement is taking place. Specifically for the dowry in the form of cash, it is then sent to the bank to be deposited into the fiancé’s account.
Photos taken from the scene showed some of the contents of the safe, where piles of cash, gold and some jewelery were placed on a table.
According to the Global Times, Friday (2/6/2023), the expensive dowry or cai li caused jealousy and criticism from people online.
But the groom-to-be tried to downplay his extravagant appearance.
“This is a local custom, very common in Taizhou,” said the man identified by Chinese media as Yan, 30, referring to the city in Zhejiang where he and his fiancé live.
Yan added that he and his fiancé plan to tie the knot at the end of 2023.
Despite recent efforts by the government to control dowries, China’s costly wedding affair shows no signs of abating.
The southeastern province of Jiangxi made headlines in January for topping Xinhua’s ranking for an average dowry price tagged at 380,000 yuan, excluding other expected accompaniments such as cars and houses.
In February, a major China policy document for 2023 laid out its plan to tackle exorbitant dowry prices and extravagant wedding ceremonies. The move comes as China records its first population decline since 1961.
But like the evidence of cash in the armored trucks Yan sent in Zhejiang, expensive customs dating back to the millennium of the Han Dynasty may not have been thrown away overnight.
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