First the mortgage then the date — Modern Chinese girls can be demanding
Several young men in China told us that the girls they courted would, before even agreeing to a date, inquire about their means and intentions of purchasing a flat. These girls simply didn’t want to waste their love on boys without any real chance for real estate. Today in this country, which did not have private residential property until just a few decades ago, nobody wants to live in a rented apartment. And young women are not willing to lose precious time by dating someone who can just pay for a dinner but not for a decent kitchen and dining room. Parents of Chinese boys worry a lot about their sons’ ability to impress prospective brides with a plush condo. Of course, Chinese parents will sacrifice all their savings out of fear that their one and only “prince” might remain single because of his lack of real estate.
When we discussed this issue in our team, the Chinese members of our staff made it clear that they are neither insisting on co-owning a flat nor willing to buy property before they can really afford it. But they got curious and wanted to know how widespread the property-demanding attitude of Chinese girls really was and what young male Chinese expats would think about this. Thus, they decided to interview some young Chinese living abroad. Fortunately, young Chinese are much more open about their personal opinions and experiences than European youngsters of the same age. The Chinese expats even agreed to have their responses filmed and distributed. Have a look at some of these interviews on Youtube
In the end, we got so much confirmation of the original reports that we added a question on the material expectations of Chinese girls to our Advanced Quiz on crosscultural China fitness.
Question from advanced level of free China competence quiz
[...] Your China Blog, which covers intercultural issues in China, posted on Chinese women’s expectations of dating, serious relationships and marriage. Several young men in China told us that the girls they courted would, before even agreeing to a date, inquire about their means and intentions of purchasing a flat. [...]