Bride Price and Masculinity in China

This article explores the bride price system in China and its impact on masculinity. Bride price is an important part of the Chinese marriage tradition, resonating with the patriarchal system where men dominate in family, society, and politics(Sangwha 1999). Using web crawler techniques and thematic analysis, the paper analyzes discussions related to bride price on HUPU forums and answers two questions: how Chinese men view bride price and how they display and construct masculinity in the practice of bride price. The study found that bride price is seen as a financial burden, and many men feel unfair. Men should show their economic ability, and maintain their dominance over their wives while conforming to the image of filial sons. Despite the significant economic pressure that bride price puts on men, they still adhere to it in order to maintain patriarchy and the traditional gender order. The bride price controversy reveals the inherent contradictions between the traditional and modern gender order, and how Chinese men construct multidimensional male identities within this contradiction.