The thing is, in China, you are not just married with the person you in love with, you also married to the family of that person. (And at the same time, that pe

The thing is, in China, you are not just married with the person you in love with, you also married to the family of that person. (And at the same time, that person is married to your family as well) I remember when my colleagues was talking about whether or not they're letting their wife to manage their money. One person brought up "I've paid ￥XXXXXX for the 彩礼[0], so I'm not allowing her to limit how I spend my salary". The idea was, as the man of the house, you provides, so you have some "power" over other family members. And that 10,000 USD you may need to pay, is the way of showing that you can provide. Of course, all of that above is the "modern" explanation. In the ancient time, where the gender inequality is much severe, the Bride Price is mainly served as compensation to the female's family. Because after been married, the female will technically "leave" their own family and become a part of the male's family. That's why "Getting Married" is called "出嫁" at the female side, where "出" means leave (her own family). One more thing, except for 彩礼[0], we also have 嫁妆[1] which is something that female's family will provide (technically to their own girl, though). If you want to dig deeper, checkout one[2] Wiki page (If you can read, the Chinese version is better). If you're living in China, better ask your local Chinese friends, I bet their information is more accurate and detailed than the Wiki page. Hope you have a happy marriage. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bride_price#China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bride_price#China [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowry#China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowry#China [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_marriage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_marriage