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China

Chinese Billionaire Seeks Wife: Only Virgins Need Apply

YANGCHENG EVENING NEWS( China)

GUANGZHOU - Eleven anonymous multi-millionaire Chinese entrepreneurs, all multi-millionaires, have posted ads in ten cities in a new public search for wives.

The chance to marry one of the men, each with a net worth of at least 100 million RMB ($15 million), found no shortage of eager applicants, reports the Yangcheng Evening News. Some 320 contestants, out of the initial 2800 candidates, were to be given a first-round interview this week at the Garden Hotel in Guangzhou City.

The interview includes five steps. First, for each lady, her physical appearance is closely studied. A plastic surgeon is present to make sure the candidate has not undertaken any cosmetic surgery. Her personality and psychology are then evaluated. Her face is studied, with the physiognomy given due note. Her talents and upbringing are marked. And she is asked for her views of emotional and marital life.

The organizer of the contest was succinct: "We are committed to solving the entrepreneurs' marriage issues. Any woman chosen will be the mother of the next generation of a rich family, as well as having a spouse with huge assets to manage," the organizer said. "It is much more important for the entrepreneurs to find a suitable wife than for ordinary folk."

The basic benchmarks for the short-listed contestants are to be single, aged between 19 and 28, 160 to 175 cm tall, with a college degree and outstanding appearance.

However, what has aroused the most attention is the special requirement from one particular billionaire. He is divorced, over 40, well-known and with strong athletic build -- and his candidate wife has to have no prior sexual experience.

When interviewed by the Yangcheng reporter, most girls denied being gold-diggers. They say they are just ensuring a better future for their children. But one girl admitted that she has decided to take the shortcut because "It's too risky to invest in potential stock".

Most girls also say they accept and understand the virginity requirement. When asked if they'd accept to undergo a physical examination to prove it, one of them said frankly "It's not difficult to have the hymen repaired in a medical institute. Such a provision doesn't make much sense."

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Migrant Lives

They Migrated From Chiapas When Opportunities Dried Up, Orchids Brought Them Home

An orchid rehabilitation project is turning a small Mexican community into a tourist magnet — and attracting far-flung locals back to their hometown.

They Migrated From Chiapas When Opportunities Dried Up, Orchids Brought Them Home

Marcos Aguilar Pérez takes care of orchids rescued from the rainforest in his backyard in Santa Rita Las Flores, Mapastepec, Chiapas, Mexico.

Adriana Alcázar González/GPJ Mexico
Adriana Alcázar González

MAPASTEPEC — Sweat cascades down Candelaria Salas Gómez’s forehead as she separates the bulbs of one of the orchids she and the other members of the Santa Rita Las Flores Community Ecotourism group have rescued from the rainforest. The group houses and protects over 1,000 orchids recovered from El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas, after powerful storms.

“When the storms and heavy rains end, we climb to the vicinity of the mountains and collect the orchids that have fallen from the trees. We bring them to Santa Rita, care for them, and build their strength to reintegrate them into the reserve later,” says Salas Gómez, 32, as she attaches an orchid to a clay base to help it recover.

Like magnets, the orchids of Santa Rita have exerted a pull on those who have migrated from the area due to lack of opportunity. After years away from home, Salas Gómez was one of those who returned, attracted by the community venture to rescue these flowers and exhibit them as a tourist attraction, which provides residents with an adequate income.

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