TH, as the Chinese feminist movement, would actively defend rather than actively reject the bride price system.

TH, as the Chinese feminist movement, would actively defend rather than actively reject the bride price system.

Date set
July 12, 2026
Tournament
Miscellaneous Motions
Topics
Feminism, Relationships
Background slide

Bride price (caili) is a payment made by a groom's family to the bride's family before marriage, standard practice across much of China and especially entrenched in rural areas. Amounts have risen sharply in recent decades, driven in part by the sex-ratio imbalance left by the one-child policy. The payment is negotiated between families; depending on region and family, it may be kept by the bride's parents, passed to the bride herself, or used to furnish the new household. The Chinese government has run repeated campaigns to cap or discourage "excessive" bride prices.