Generally you'd pay a bride price rather than a dowry in China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_marriage#Six_Etiquette http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese

Generally you'd pay a bride price rather than a dowry in China (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_marriage#Six_Etiquette http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_marriage#Six_Etiquette). Sayings like the one you quoted are not due to paying money to the groom's family, but rather because the girl becomes part of the groom's family. There are probably a regions where the reverse is true, and dowries are common, because China is a very large and diverse place. Maybe near Mongolia? Certainly not in the major cities though.