In late 1970s, China entered into a period of "opening to the outside world." With the great
change in the fields of politics, economy and culture, people's standards of marriage have also
witnessed a tremendous and amazing change.
In 1977 and 1978, when colleges and universities resumed the recruit of students after
ten-year interruption, it could be seen that all media started a new call for the respect
of knowledge. As a result, a large proportion of girls started to think a lot of educational
diploma when they were seeking their boyfriends. Men with a bachelor or master's degree were
once their focus. In the country, agricultural technicians and other skilled young men were
run after by girls. But in a couple of years, as professors or academic doctors were commonly
regarded as "poor and dull chaps," they were no longer the center of girls' eyes.
Advertisements for husbands and wives began to appear on newspapers, television and magazines.
Matchmaking services could be found in different places. People had a broader range of choices
than ever, which enabled them to make better decisions on their own will.
In the end of 1970s and the beginning of 1980s, girls in towns and cities put physical height
in a very important place when they were seeking their boyfriends. Those under 1.7 meter were
considered quasi-handicapped. In most advertisements girls would add that their future spouses
would be above that height. And at the same time they would inform their own height.
After 1982, a large number of wealthy people were born. They were mostly owners of self-employed
workshops and shops or private businesses. These people, together with enterprise managers and
those with foreign relatives, soon drew girls' attention. A considerable proportion, who had got
married with workers in state-run businesses, managed to divorce and came to the arms of the wealthy people.
It was common in this period to find someone who could help to go abroad. Some pursued the
postgraduates who had acquired qualifications for going abroad, desiring for a chance to
leave China. Some managed to marry foreign businessmen, technicians or students in China
with the hope of immigrating into foreign countries. Others even attempted to get close
to foreign tourists or post advertisements on foreign media wishing to run into their life partners.
From 1980s, young men started to think more of girls' exterior appearance. So did girls.
After mid 1980s, there was a wider age gap between males and females who had established a
relationship. Some middle-aged or even elderly men who had succeeded economically could form a
relation with females a dozen or twenty years younger. Initially people were not so accustomed
to it, but soon they learned to accept it. By late 1980s, divorce rate rose tremendously.
Divorced women generally chose older men than their ex-husbands as their new spouses while
divorced men tended to choose younger women than their ex-wives.
With the economic and cultural development, people, first from coastal cities and then from small towns and villages, had more open mind. Consequently, pre-marriage sex became increasingly common. When they were seeking their life partners, it was no longer the most important factor to think about whether he or she was a virgin.
In 1990s, government officials received great attention from girls. As a great many owners of individually owned or private businesses fell in the tide of market economy, a considerably large number of girls turned to government officials and administrative office workers. In their advertisements, some girls straightly stated that they only consider candidates from government offices. There is a saying that girls seek to marry military officers in 1950s, workers in 1960s, military officers again in 1970s, bosses in 1980s, and public servants in 1990s.
Chinese marriage standards in the past 50 years also have regional difference.
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Written by Luo Kaiyu.
Translated by Ye Qinfa.
