The term "bride price" has a long history in Chinese culture. In ancient times, the bride price was a gift from a man to a woman's parents to express his sincerity in courting her. With the development of the times, the meaning of the bride price gradually changed and evolved into a "transaction". In recent years, the phenomenon of high bride price is not uncommon, and it has become a major social problem.
On December 10, 2023, the Supreme People's Court issued the Provisions on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Private Lending Cases (I) (hereinafter referred to as the "Provisions"), which clearly stipulates that "if the borrower borrows money from the lender for the purpose of marriage, and the lender requests the borrower to return the principal and interest of the loan on the basis of the marriage relationship, the people's court shall not support it". This provision is considered to be a "move" by the Supreme People's Court against the high bride price.
The SPC's call for the abolition of the high bride price is undoubtedly a wise move. The existence of high bride price not only increases the burden of marriage, but also breeds the trend of comparison, and even leads to marital disputes and domestic violence. Only by canceling the high bride price can the marriage return to its essence and make love the only foundation of marriage.
So, can the SPC's appeal be "implemented"?In order to make the high bride price "land", it requires the joint efforts of many parties. First of all, there is a need to strengthen publicity and education to make people aware of the dangers of high bride prices. Second, laws and regulations need to be improved to provide legal protection for the abolition of high bride prices. Finally, we need the joint efforts of all sectors of society to create a good social atmosphere.
The SPC's call for the abolition of the high bride price is a landmark event. This appeal not only represents the great importance that the Supreme People's Court attaches to the issue of high bride price, but also reflects the strong call from all walks of life for the abolition of high bride price.
Abolishing the high bride price is an inevitable requirement for promoting the freedom of marriage, protecting women's rights and interests, and safeguarding social fairness and justice. We hope that, under the call of the Supreme People's Court, the bad Xi of high bride price will soon become a thing of the past.
The Supreme People's Court released typical cases of bride price disputes