Worldcrunch

SINA NEWS, CHUTIAN DAILY ( China)

HUBEI – A few weeks ago, reports Sina News, a man showed up in front of the Hunan University female dormitory with a cortege of BMWs.

The 11 cars were parked in two rows of five, while the lead car was parked next to a red carpet running from the car to the doorstep. His well-organized team quickly set up audio equipment and started playing romantic music while the suitor, carrying a bunch of roses, took out his mobile phone and called a young lady. Soon after, the object of his attention came down the stairs and, as expected, accepted the engagement ring in front of the cheering crowd.

A few days later, according to the Chutian Urban Daily, a 25-year-old man, obviously inspired by the BMW approach, led a mighty team of 50 bicycles, each with a heart-shaped balloon at the front, through the streets of Hankou City. When they arrived at the real estate agency where his sweetheart was working, the bicycles formed a heart around the leading man. With flowers in one hand and a suitcase in the other, he knelt in front of his heroine, and opened the suitcase. He was leaving nothing to chance: inside was a stack of cash, folded in the shape of hearts.

These days in China nothing is too over-the-top when it comes to proposals: men need to prove they can provide for their future wives. Because of the one-child policy, which has led to the selective abortion of baby girls, China has an imbalanced female to male sex ratio of 100 to 118. The marriage market is pretty much in a woman's hands, as well as her parents'. She will choose a man who can guarantee what she considers a reasonably comfortable life. A recent survey conducted by a Chinese matchmaking agency shows that 70% of women consider that owning a house is a prerequisite for a man to propose, and that 80% of women think that only men earning more than $630 a month are eligible for love.

According to the China Times, a mother from Hangzhou City has recently set up a QQ group, an instant messaging platform for people with common interests, for rich parents who are looking for son-in-laws. The condition is that candidates must be worth at least $4.7 million; that's what these parents claim to be worth themselves. Unfortunately for the young ladies, candidates don't seem to be lining up. Perhaps they smell a trap?