In Chinese villages, marriage no longer just between "relatives"

Xie Qing found nothing to her liking when she first visited her husband's home in a remote northern village a year ago: The food was bland, the bed wasn't comfortable, and the air was too dry for a southerner. "My mother-in-law doesn't eat spicy food and I don't like noodles. We have to eat separately, which is really bad," said 26-year-old Xie. Xie's husband Wang Chun was born in Xiahu Village, an hour's drive from the seat of Chicheng County in north China's Hebei Province. In recent years, young villagers like Wang began leaving the land to seek better opportunities in cities, bringing home income as well as wives with totally different backgrounds. "In the past, young people in the village had very limited marriage choices. They often found a mate in the vicinity, either in the same village or in a neighboring one," said Feng Yulin, village head. "Since neighbors often share the same ancestors, people would jokingly say: 'Marry your relative or you get none'," said Feng. More than half of the village's 500-plus young people now work in cities. "Now they find husbands and wives with varied backgrounds," he said. Xie, born and raised in southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality, met Wang in Shanghai in 2008 and married him two years later despite her parents' opposition. Xie doesn't have many misgivings about marrying a northern villager. "We both worked in Shanghai. We met and had feelings for each other. It doesn't matter where he comes from," Xie said. As China's economy soars, the income gap widens between rural and urban areas. More and more rural Chinese are moving to cities to find better jobs. This is also increasing their choices in relationships. In Laozhazi village in Chicheng County, Nie Wenjun was one of the first villagers to marry a woman from outside the province. "It was a rare event in the village." Nie said of his marriage in 1999. "I had never thought of marrying someone from the outside. But when you go to the city, you see things and you meet more people," Nie said. Eight wives in the village now come from other provinces. Nie's wife Zhang Lingxia was very disappointed when she first came to Laozhazi: It was even poorer than her own hometown. "Later I came to realize that everyone has his or her own fate, whether good or bad. Marrying the right person is a good fate." Now the family keeps six cows, one pig and has all the essential home appliances. They have two children and decided not to have any more. "It is not easy to raise children nowadays. The next generation may choose to have only one," said Zhang. Forty-six-year-old Laozhazi villager Hu Yulin is still single. He suffered from poliomyelitis when he was a baby, and a crippled leg has prevented him from moving away from the landlocked village. He now lives on his meager income as a tourist guide. "Sometimes I am a little envious of those who find wives from the outside," said Hu. "Maybe someday when tourism prospers here, I can find one, too."