Give Money Or No Wife: China's Controversial Wedding Tradition Goes Viral

A unique story has emerged from China, where hundreds of villagers blocked the car of a groom who was on his way to pick up his bride. According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the incident took place in a village in Taizhou in eastern China's Jiangsu province on October 20 and the video has gone viral. It shows the people surrounding the vehicle and demanding money and cigarettes from the groom. The clip has sparked renewed discussion about contentious wedding customs in mainland China.

The crowd that stopped the groom's car comprised of mainly elderly residents, the outlet further reported. 

It is a part of local tradition, under which it is customary for the groom's family to fulfil the requests of the elderly villagers, which may range from offering sugar or cigarettes to presenting red envelopes filled with money. In theory, if these offerings fail to satisfy the villagers, the groom may face delays in meeting his bride or even be denied access altogether.

This practice of blocking the groom's path is known as lan men in Mandarin, which translates to "blocking the door", said the SCMP report. Its purpose is to assess the groom's determination to marry his beloved and to allow the couple to express their happiness by sharing gifts.

Other innovative ways include relative and friends of the bride posing challenges such as making the groom guess riddles, recite poems or display his singing and dancing skills.

Describing how the groom's side deals with the challenge, a wedding planner in Taizhou told the outlet: "If there are many people there, the groom's family just put one yuan (14 US cents) into each red packet. If there are not so many people, they will put 10 yuan in the red packet."

But the latest video on tradition was slammed by modern Chinese social media users. 

"What a vicious custom. It's obviously robbery," one user said on Douyin, as per SCMP. "This custom will deter young people from getting married," said another.

However, some users voiced their support too.

" It won't cost much. A red packet with one yuan is fine. The point is to have a big crowd to create a lively atmosphere. If few people come to join the lan men event, it implies that the groom's family don't get along well with others in the community," one user commented.

Other controversial wedding rituals in China include the bride, dressed in traditional wedding attire, sitting barefoot for several hours before meeting the groom to take their vows. This is followed by some families in southeastern Jiangxi province.