Niu Zhizhong (an alias), 31, lives alone in a poor rural village in Guan County, Shandong Province.
Over a decade, he managed to scrape up enough money to build a house to improve his chances in the marriage market in face of a bride shortage caused by gender imbalance.
Niu Zhizhong (an alias), 31, lives alone in a poor rural village in Guan County of China's Shandong Province after his Vietnamese "bride" left. [Photo/Jinghua.cn] |
Like many Chinese singles, Niu looked south for "economical" partner and he was introduced to a Vietnamese woman who agreed to marry him but only if he gave her 65,000 yuan (about US$10,200 ) as betrothal gifts.
The woman, using the name of Wang Xiaolan and allegedly 38 years old, is said to come from a Vietnamese border town separated by a strip of water from China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. She told Niu that she had a five-year-old daughter and had left the family for fear of violence from her ex-husband.
Niu Zhizhong (an alias), 31, shows the purse of his Vietnamese "wife" to the reporter. [Photo/Jinghua.cn] |
Reflecting on his own conditions as a poor villager without deep pockets to be able to marry a Chinese young lady demanding a new house, car and considerable wealth, Niu thought this Vietnamese woman could give him a loving family he craved for long. The bachelor borrowed almost 40,000 yuan and took the woman home the next day.
A short-lived 'marriage'
The 10-month co-habitation of Niu and his Vietnamese wife were marked by frequent disappearances shrouded in mystery.
On the third day after they began living together, Wang Xiaolan disappeared with Wang Ping, another Vietnamese "newlywed" in the village.
Their "husbands" thought of reporting the matter to the police but hesitated over fear of potential allegations of human trafficking.
A couple of months later, however, before the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2013, the vanishing "bride" returned home. She explained she had gone back to her hometown for farm work.
The Vietnamese proved to be an obedient and hardworking wife during their short-lived "romance" but she refused to register for marriage. She also kept making mysterious phone calls every day on flimsy excuses.
On April 14, 2014, Wang Xiaolan left again with another 5,000 yuan (about US$ 787.5) she had sought from Niu. In total, the Vietnamese took 70,000 yuan (about US$ 11,025) from the poor bachelor.
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