Why people in China are pretending to get married
And what this says about the state of romance.
Across cultures, weddings are usually a big event. Lots of us look forward to dressing up and dancing the night away with the person we love — but what if you kept all the festivities and got rid of the romance? Well, some young people in China are doing exactly that, by looking online for a ‘marriage buddy’. They pretend to be together to please their families, but aren’t actually legally married. So, why are they willing to go to such lengths to meet societal expectations? And how does it all work?
Wanqing Zhang from the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½â€™s Global China Unit talks us through the process — and explains the pressure put on young people in China to tie the knot. And we hear from Linda, a young woman in China who tells us why she’s decided to find a marriage buddy.
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Presenter: Iqra Farooq
Producers: Chelsea Coates, Mora Morrison and MarÃa Clara Montoya
Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal and Jem Westgate
Editor: Julia Ross-Roy
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- Tue 15 Jul 2025 17:50GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service News Internet
- Wed 16 Jul 2025 02:50GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only
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