Marriages not made to last
- Source: Global Times
- [08:18 April 22 2011]
- Comments
An American groom lifts the red veil of his Chinese bride during their traditional Chinese wedding ceremony at the Beijing Huaqiao Hotel on April 17, 2010. International marriages are on the rise in Beijing, but so are international divorces. Photo: IC
By Wei Na
Marriages between foreigners and Chinese are hitting the rocks more than before in Beijing, with the Fengtai district court reporting that in 2010, the number of divorces between international couples rose by 50 percent over the previous year.
Divorce attorneys and judges confirmed that they have seen a rise in both mixed-race marriages and divorces in Beijing.
Yang Zheng, the Fengtai judge who conducted the report's research, told the Global Times there were 35 divorce cases in her district in 2010, seven or eight of which involved foreigners, figures that are "definitely higher than before."
In marriages involving a foreigner, usually it is a Chinese wife filing for divorce in Beijing after being long separated from her foreign husband, who has left China and with whom there is no longer any communication, Yang said.
In the divorce cases that Yang handled, none involved marriages that lasted longer than four years, and in most cases, there were no children or property to be divided. Yang said those couples did not get married for "serious" reasons.
"The women wanted the opportunity to go abroad or to get more financial support from the foreign husbands, while the foreign men never wanted to settle down in China with the women," she said.
In cases where the foreign party cannot be found, about seven months before the divorce hearing the court will announce it in Chinese newspapers. If the party still does not show up, the divorce hearing will be opened without him or her, Yang explained, saying that this process could take over a year.
Jiang Shiwei, a Chaoyang district judge, confirmed that he had seen similar cases, and said he is currently working on a divorce case filed by a Chinese woman who doesn't even know where her foreign husband is.
"The total number of international marriages is bigger in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai," Jiang said, explaining one possible reason for climbing divorce rates.
He suggested that those involved in international marriages should learn more about each other's cultures and backgrounds, and even study up on legal issues.
